Summary | Discuss | Reviews | More Information | More Books
Critics' Opinion:
Readers' rating:
Published May 2015
352 pages
Genre: Literary Fiction
Publication Information
In this timely and provocative novel, internationally bestselling author Sarah Pekkanen takes us inside a family in crisis and a marriage on the brink after a tragic shooting.
How far would you go to save your family?
Every morning, as her husband Mike straps on his SIG Sauer and pulls on his heavy Magnum boots, Jamie Anderson tenses up. Then comes the call she has always dreaded: There's been a shooting at police headquarters. Mike isn't hurt, but his long-time partner is grievously injured. As weeks pass and her husband's insomnia and disconnectedness mount, Jamie realizes he is an invisible casualty of the attack. Then the phone rings again. Another shooting - but this time Mike has pulled the trigger.
But the shooting does more than just alter Jamie's world. It's about to change everything for two other women. Christie Simmons, Mike's flamboyant ex, sees the tragedy as an opportunity for a second chance with Mike. And Jamie's younger sister, Lou, must face her own losses to help the big sister who raised her. As the press descends and public cries of police brutality swell, Jamie tries desperately to hold together her family, no matter what it takes.
In her characteristic exploration of true-to-life relationships, Sarah Pekkanen has written a complex, compelling, and openhearted novel - her best yet.
You can see the full discussion here. This discussion will contain spoilers!
Some of the recent comments posted about Things You Won't Say:
Did you find yourself sympathizing more with Christie or Jamie? Who do you think was more at fault, or do you believe that both women were doing the best they could?
I had more sympathy for Jamie - but I didn't really like either character very much. I liked Lou. I do think it seemed like both women were doing the best they could and what they thought was right. - jodig
Do you agree with how Jamie and Lou handled the verbal harassment? Do you tend to fight back when challenged, or do you prefer to walk away?
They handled it well but I tend to be impulsively stand my ground. This isn't always best. - heatherf
Do you agree with Jamie's reaction?
With the skill set that Jamie possessed, she did the best she could. Her reaction was expected. - robinn
Do you think Christie, Jamie, and Mike work well together in co-parenting Henry?
I think this story-line, like many of the others in this book, was underdeveloped which makes it hard to really answer this question. I think it seemed like they initially were working well together but obviously that fell apart during the story. - jodig
Do you think Lou's relationship with Donny and Christie's with Mike could have worked out, had the circumstances been different? Do you think Christie truly fell back in love with Mike?
I don't think either of them would have worked in any circumstances. Lou liked Donny as a friend and felt comfortable with him. The two couples both seemed to care about each other but were not really good matches. I don't think Christie fell back in... - darylb
"Recommended for fans of Pekkanen's previous works and 'ripped from the headlines' stories." - Library Journal
"Pekkanen reliably builds strong, interesting characters, but here, a plot too important for melodrama fails them." - Kirkus
"Many of the interwoven story lines are finely wrought, and the book as a whole is compelling." - Booklist
This information about Things You Won't Say was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Sarah Pekkanen is the internationally and USA Today bestselling author of seven novels, plus an eighth, The Wife Between Us (2018), co-written with Greer Hendricks. A former investigative journalist and feature writer, her work has been published in The Washington Post, USA Today, and many others.
Author Interview
Link to Sarah Pekkanen's Website
Name Pronunciation
Sarah Pekkanen: PEHK-uh-nehn
The House on Biscayne Bay
by Chanel Cleeton
As death stalks a gothic mansion in Miami, the lives of two women intertwine as the past and present collide.
The Flower Sisters
by Michelle Collins Anderson
From the new Fannie Flagg of the Ozarks, a richly-woven story of family, forgiveness, and reinvention.
The Funeral Cryer by Wenyan Lu
Debut novelist Wenyan Lu brings us this witty yet profound story about one woman's midlife reawakening in contemporary rural China.
Your guide toexceptional books
BookBrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and nonfiction—books that not only engage and entertain but also deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.
