Publication Date: Available Now from Quercus
Source: Review Copy
Louise Redmond left Ireland for London before she was twenty. Now, more than two decades later, her heart already breaking from a failing marriage, she is summoned home. Her mother is on her deathbed, and it is Louise’s last chance to learn the whereabouts of a father she never knew.
Stubborn to the end, Marjorie refuses to fill in the pieces of her daughter’s fragmented past. Then Louise unexpectedly finds a lead. A man called David Prescott . . . but is he really the father she’s been trying to find?
Extraordinarily readable (meaning I banged through it in grasshopper on acid fashion) and beautifully written family drama here with “What She Never Told Me” which follows Louise as she unravels her past in order to secure her future. Some well drawn characters and an atmospheric story with a distinct sense of place made this a really enjoyable, engaging and terrific book.
Sometimes you just get fully immersed in a novel, in the lives of those you meet between the pages – that was definitely true with this story, I was hugely sympathetic to Louise who just wants the truth and equally to those around her who are caught up in her obsession. The narrative digs deep into the personalities, whilst hovering over everything is a woman who can no longer speak for herself – Marjorie, an enigma in death as well as in life.
As Louise slowly uncovers the trail that goes back into a haunting past, What She Never Told Me is a real treat to read, revealing layer by layer a life built on lies, which doesnt necessarily mean that life was a bad one. I loved the exploration of some tangled relationships, the grey areas morally speaking and Kate McQuaile has a real eye for plot building, scene setting and genuinely intriguing character study, the mix of all three is what makes this great.
I will admit to predicting the resolution but to be honest this is not a book that I read expecting some huge twist in the tale – for me it was the story of mothers and daughters, lovers, friends, even those people you meet rarely but affect you utterly – it is, in essence, about those things that are never said but none the less have a huge impact on entire lives. I loved it.
Highly Recommended
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Happy Reading Folks!