What Jonah Knew

by Barbara Graham

First published 2022

Helen Bird searches desperately for her missing son Henry, a 22-year-old musician who vanished in upstate New York. The police think he left voluntarily, but Helen refuses to accept this explanation. Meanwhile, in Manhattan, Lucie and Matt Pressman welcome their son Jonah into the world. Despite Lucie's efforts to be an attentive mother, Jonah suffers from night terrors and speaks constantly about an "other mom and dog" that he claims are real. When Jonah turns seven, the Pressmans rent a summer cottage in Aurora Falls, the same town where Helen lives. Jonah begins displaying impossible knowledge about Henry's life and disappearance. Helen and Lucie must confront an unthinkable possibility: that Jonah carries Henry's memories from a previous life. As the two mothers join forces to understand what connects their sons, they face questions that challenge everything they believe about death, identity, and the bonds between mothers and children.

Genres: suspense, mystery, contemporary, paranormal, psychological-thriller, family-drama

Vibes: atmospheric, emotional, intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking

Tropes: found-family, unreliable-narrator

Setting: Aurora Falls, Manhattan, New York, Upstate New York

528 pages · Paperback · Harper Large Print

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