Book MYView: Things Left Unspoken by Eva Marie Everson

Every family--and every house--has its secrets.

Jo-Lynn Hunter is at a crossroads in life when her great-aunt Stella insists that she return home to restore the old family manse in sleepy Cottonwood, Georgia. Jo-Lynn longs to get her teeth into a noteworthy and satisfying project. And it's the perfect excuse for some therapeutic time away from her self-absorbed husband and his snobby Atlanta friends.

Beneath the dust and the peeling wallpaper, things are not what they seem, and what Jo-Lynn doesn't know about her family holds just as many surprises. Was her great-grandfather the pillar of the community she thought he was? What is Aunt Stella hiding? And will her own marriage survive the renovation? Jo-Lynn isn't sure she wants to know the truth--but sometimes the truth has a way of making itself known.

MYView: Things Left Unspoken by Eva Marie Everson is a wonderfully written story about truth, the lengths people will go to keep family secrets, uphold traditions, and a woman's need to find her place in the world. The story alternates between the past and the present, telling the story of Jo-Lynn’s great-Aunt Stella and the life-altering decisions she made which still affect the family in present day. In addition, we read about Jo-Lynn’s need to reevaluate her life and her marriage.

I marveled how the author showed what people would do and sacrifice for love. I felt for Jo-Lynn as she yearned for purpose in her life, and angry she allowed her husband so much power in their marriage. The promise she made him earlier in their marriage made me want to shake her!

Stella’s story really made this book a page-turner. It was moving to read how family honor and tradition played a part in Stella’s love affair and its affect on later generations.

When I thought I knew where this multi-layered story was going and settled into its moderate pace, mysterious things started to happen to Jo-Lynn. Then the pace quickly picked up as Jo-Lynn came closer and closer to unraveling long kept secrets.

I highly recommend Things Left Unspoken. Every time I think about it, I come away with more things I like about it.