First published 2010
Celia and Djuna ruled their group of friends with ruthless authority until the day they walked down a forbidden road together. Only Celia emerged from the woods. She told everyone that Djuna had vanished, likely taken by a stranger. The police searched but found nothing. Twenty years later, Celia lives with her boyfriend Huck in professional success but emotional stagnation. She has blocked out the memory of what actually occurred that afternoon. When the truth finally surfaces in her mind, Celia travels back to her hometown determined to confess her role in Djuna's disappearance. Her family refuses to believe her new version of events. Her childhood friends dismiss her claims. Even Huck struggles to accept what she tells him, though he wants to support her. Celia pushes forward in her search for answers about Djuna's fate, but her quest unleashes consequences she never anticipated. The novel examines how childhood trauma shapes adult relationships and forces readers to confront the stories we tell ourselves to survive.
Genres: suspense, mystery, crime, contemporary, psychological-thriller, family-drama
Vibes: atmospheric, dark, emotional, intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: deception, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Hometown
Period: 20 Years Later
Audio CD · Books on Tape
Content warnings: anxiety, depression, mental-illness