by Karen White
First published 2013
Eleanor Murray carries the weight of two devastating choices. She caused the accident that left her sister paralyzed. She fell in love with her sister's husband. When her boss asks her to care for his elderly aunt Helena on Edisto Island, Eleanor sees a chance to balance the scales through service. Helena lives withdrawn and melancholy until Eleanor discovers their shared passion for music. As Eleanor draws the older woman from her isolation, Helena begins sharing stories of her youth in Hungary with her sister during World War II. The tales reveal passion and heartbreak, acts of defiance and perilous deception that shaped Helena's life. When the full truth of what Helena and her sister did during the war emerges, Eleanor finds something unexpected. The revelation helps her see past her own guilt and shame. She begins to hear the music that has been silenced in her own heart.
Genres: literary-fiction, historical-fiction, contemporary, family-drama
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, redemption
Setting: Edisto Island, Hungary
Period: World War II
352 pages · Hardcover · NAL
Content warnings: mental-illness