First published 2014
The narrator was too young to grasp how different her childhood was from others. Colin became her sole protector, shouldering the weight of their shared secret alone. They received what few people get: a second chance. With manufactured identities, they constructed a new existence in an unfamiliar place. Their pretty facade concealed a foundation of deception. As years passed, their lives remained connected, but fate pushed them down separate roads. The narrator knows these divergent paths must eventually cross again. When that collision happens, the darkness lurking beneath their carefully crafted surface will finally emerge. Colin sacrificed his own peace to shield her from their past, but some truths cannot stay buried forever. Their fake family and artificial happiness face an inevitable reckoning.
Genres: suspense, mystery, crime, contemporary, psychological-thriller, family-drama
Vibes: dark, emotional, intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: deception, found-family, unreliable-narrator
250 pages · Paperback · Teresa Mummert
Content warnings: abuse