These Things Hidden by Heather Gudenkauf

ISBN:  9780778328797

Grade:   A

Recommended for:  mainly women, although some guys would enjoy this book, anyone dealing with infertility and adoption, and most definitely book clubs.    

Well 2011 is off to a bang in terms of some really fantastic books.  These Things Hidden is a fine sophomore effort from Heather Gudenkauf.  I've been itching to read this since seeing an ad banner for it some time ago and thanks to NetGalley, I got my hands on an e-version.  Anyone thinking that their family has secrets has nothing on the Glenn family of this book.  

The story here starts with a girl named Allison who at age 16 commits a horrifying crime and finds herself imprisoned and sent to a halfway house for women.  The story is set in small town Iowa, yet it's a story that could happen anywhere.  It might be easier to break these women down to help explain the storyline and not give away any spoilers.  The story is told from four alternating viewpoints, the women listed below and their connection to each other via a little boy named Joshua.

Allison Glenn was the perfect teenager, smart and athletic, never got into trouble, a good soldier if you will.  Allison meets an older guy and quickly falls in love with him.  She finds herself in a situation that happens in every high school, except her actions lead her to serving 5 years in prison and then a halfway house. 

Brynn is Allison's younger sister who went from a near twin-like relationship to living in the shadows of Allison.  Brynn and her sister could not be more opposite with Brynn being the meek one to Allison's outgoing All American Girl type.  After Allison is sent to prison, Brynn becomes a pariah, being whispered about and stared at by classmates.  Brynn tries to lead as normal of a life as possible, quickly realizes its impossibility and leaves town to live with a relative.  As a result of all the trauma Brynn finds solace in animals and devotes herself to her newly adopted pets and schoolwork.

Next up is Claire Kelby, a bookstore owner and adoptive mother to Joshua.  We learn about her struggles to have children of her own and the experience she and her husband had as foster parents.

Charm Tullia is a girl Brynn's age who is taking care of her cancer stricken stepfather while distancing herself from her lousy mother and estranged brother.  We meet Charm as a nursing student when she frequents Claire's bookstore and hides in the self help section.

These Things Hidden takes a little while for the connection between the four women, and Allison's crime to be revealed, but well worth the wait.  Told in alternating viewpoints, each woman has her own chapter so we get the building blocks of who they are and where they fit into the story.  When the crime is finally revealed it hits you like a stab in the gut.  It is a crime so horrifying and disgusting it's almost too much.  Then the connection between these four women and Joshua is revealed and I found myself shocked again.  Without realizing it I was holding my breath in certain sections bracing myself for what was to come because there are quite a few sections that almost knock the wind out of the reader.

The ending was neatly wrapped up in a way that could not have been more fitting and without pulling any fast ones or usurping reader's emotions.  Heather Gudenkauf tackles a subject matter so dark and harrowing and writes with grace.  She has written quite the gripping page turner, one that could easily be finished in a sitting or two.  For those who read The Weight of Silence I'm sure you will like this book too, and possibly even more than her debut.  This book comes highly recommended, so read it and pass along your thoughts and opinions.