The Things We Never Said Kindle Edition

Read from August 03 to 04, 2014I struggled with to say about this novel, because I honestly don't know how I feel about it even though it has been circulating within my brain since this morning. I was intrigued by the premise: In 1964, a young woman named Maggie wakes up one morning in hospital not knowing really who she is or why she is there. She knows that she is physically fine, but her mind is shattered, She knows enough to put her best face forward, because if the nurses believe she is too happy, wary, or sad she'll be sent to "treatment" the following morning. The treatment is electric shocks, and they seem to scramble her memory even more. She is terrified of storms for some reason. Her memory almost miraculously becomes whole at a social function at the mental hospital when she touches the hand of a fellow patient who had a nervous breakdown after losing his wife and child. Something bad happened to her that night of a terrible storm when she had her first date with Jack.Then we readers meet Jonathan in present day. He is a teacher. His wife is finally pregnant. He's put off telling his parents the good news because he doesn't get on with them - his father mainly. His father dies. A student accuses him of hitting him, and Jonathan is suspended indefinitely. Soon after his father's funeral, a detective appears at his doorstep. He is from the Cold Case division and Jonathan's DNA shows a familial match to several old unsolved is crimes. This is where Maggie and Jonathan's stories merge.Some parts of the novel were beautifully written given that the author chose mental illness, date rape, and family ties - nature vs. nurture - as subjects. Some parts needed closer editing because some passages repeated themselves and was very disconcerting. At times the novel dragged somewhat - the pacing was not steady. The characters were well developed more or less. I loved Maggie. I wanted to hug her and hoped she'd be well at the novel's end. Jonathan? He was narcissistic, whiny, wimpy for a man of forty. He was too absorbed with his problems and ignoring his wife and mother. It was all about him until the very end of the novel. He did redeem himself in this reader's eyes. The ending did move me to tears. Was it a great summer read - no, but I did like it.

Amazing story, Fabulous plot that leaves you very alert to keep up with the two separate yet connected lives.i highly recommend reading it if you like suspense this will be your perfect choice.

Great writing and tight plot -- I couldn't put it down! Loved this book, looking forward to her next one.

The purchase was fine

Unfolding through dual narratives, The Things We Never Said by Susan Elliot Wright, alternates between the past and present.In 1964, it takes Maggie weeks to remember the events that led to her being committed to a psychiatric hospital. Random flashes of memory, the wild winds of a hurricane...Jack...snow... cold..a crying baby...gradually resolve into a tragic history she would rather forget.In 2008, Jonathon's comfortable life is slowly falling apart. When his father passes away unexpectedly, his mother is forced to reveal a long buried secret. Lost, angry and upset, the stress threatens to compromise his marriage and his career.Gradually the link between Maggie and Jonathon reconciles, revealing the tragic history that binds them.Despite the emotive issues involved in this story, I found it fairly slow. Though the general themes interest me and overall, I found the premise enticing, for whatever the reason I had a hard time connecting with both the story and the characters.There were some moments in the plot that surprised me, though none I can mention without revealing spoilers. It has quite a busy storyline dealing with rape, family dysfunction, adoption, deceit, false accusations and mental illness which affects both timelines in different ways.I think the author handled the alternate narratives well. Though I had some sympathy for Jonathon, I also thought him weak and self involved. I didn't warm to his wife either, who used her pregnancy as an excuse to essentially abandon him to his anxieties.I could more easily empathise with Maggie's story and the way in which she was affected by what happens to her. Hers is a heartbreaking story of grief and loss.Though The Things We Never Said didn't grip me in the way I hoped, it is a poignant tale of tragedy and secrets and a strong debut from an author with promise.