Secrets She Left Behind Summary and Reviews

Secrets She Left Behind
by Diane Chamberlain

Secrets She Left Behind
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Book Summary Information

Author: Diane Chamberlain
Edition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2009-05-26
ISBN: 0778326152
Number of pages: 480
Publisher: Mira

Book Reviews of Secrets She Left Behind

Book Review: A LEGACY OF SECRETS AND BETRAYALS
Summary: 5 Stars

Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
One afternoon, single mother Sara Weston says that she's going to the store--and never returns. In her absence, she leaves her teenaged son alone with his damaged past and a legacy of secrets (from the back cover text).

Thus begins Secrets She Left Behind, a tale of family secrets, complicated history and dynamics, and the horrific events of one fateful night.

One year ago, a fire devastated families, injuring many and killing one. Maggie Lockwood poured the accelerant around the church, but decided not to go ahead and set the fire when she realized people were inside. But someone else inadvertently ignited the conflagration by tossing a cigarette into the grass.

Now Maggie is coming home, after her one-year prison sentence, facing those whose hatred and rage are an unwelcome greeting committee.

Waiting at home for her are family members with very mixed feelings. Maggie's younger brother Andy suffers from fetal alcohol syndrome, which seriously impacts his cognitive abilities, but he has always looked up to Maggie. Her other younger brother Keith, who only recently discovered that they shared the same father, has several reasons to hate her, and even before the catastrophic events, bitterly resented her family's position and wealth. Additionally, her actions have caused serious burns that have left him with facial scars and damage to his extremities. He suffers continual pain as a result, and struggles daily to regain muscle strength and control. But his spirit is damaged the most seriously by the betrayals of family secrets and his current worry about his mother Sara's sudden disappearance.

Slowly, we come to know these primary characters and the supporting cast of others who make up the world on this island in the Carolinas. In alternating voices, the characters reveal their back story and the relationships that define them.

We learn Sara's story, as if reading it from a diary. More is revealed about her secrets as the tale unfolds.

What motivates Sara to disappear? What led to Maggie's actions on that disastrous evening a year ago? And who is Jen, the mysterious stranger who appears and secretly develops relationships with a couple of the primary characters? And finally, will healing occur, releasing these characters from the burdens of the past?

My rating: Five Stars.

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