Review: Things We Didn't Say by Kristina Riggle

Title: Things We Didn't Say

Author: Kristina Riggle
Genre/Age: Contemporary, women's fiction, adult
Publication: July 2011
Source: For review, TLC Tours

Summary: 26 year old Casey comes with a past that her 36 year old fiance, Michael, knows nothing about. She recently moved in with him and his three children, and now they're falling apart at the seams. His teenage daughter, Angel, appears to loathe Casey, and eight year old Jewel watches as the silence and tension in the house deepens every day.

Then, Michael's 14 year old son, Dylan, runs away, and things come to a head. Michael's very mentally ill and former alcoholic ex-wife, Mallory, rushes to the home in hysteria over her missing son, and fights and manipulates Casey while they frantically try to locate Dylan. In the midst of this family crisis, Casey also faces an internal crisis, as her past threatens to be exposed after Angel reads her diary and spills the information to Mallory. All the while, she wonders whether she should stay or go, and whether she should say the things she's been afraid of saying for far too long.

My Thoughts: Sometimes it's hard to find the right words to describe a book you loved. I loved this book and I will do my best to share why.

Things We Didn't Say is an incredible novel full of dark secrets, hidden pasts, and a helluva lot of family drama. Dysfunctional characters are almost always my favorite, and this was chock full of them. I flew through this book in a couple of days, and was sad when I had to turn the last page.

Riggle has true talent for capturing emotions and accurately portraying them through a variety of voices. The chapters alternate narration between all of the major players, and we get to hear from about six different characters. All of their voices are distinctly different and frighteningly realistic, from an 8 year old girl, to a 36 year old man. Riggle's voice is flawless, and all of these characters shine through in their own unique ways. Not a one of these characters had weak or unrealistic writing in their respective chapters.

So, the writing obviously blew me away and drew me in to all of the characters lives. But more importantly, the story line was so compelling and dramatic. These people's lives are like train wrecks and you just can't look away. So flawed, they all are, and painfully real.

Mallory was fascinating in that she was so mentally ill and manipulative in nearly everything she did. She basically gave up her children to alcoholism, and is completely irrational and hysterical nearly all of the time.

I really liked Casey, flaws and all. Her chapters were amongst my favorites. She is full of secrets and shame, both of which she needs to overcome in order to move on with her life and live peacefully in the present. God, how my heart broke for her, so many times. She was the runt of so much blame and guilt, even from Michael at times, despite her best efforts and good heart.

The three children were great. Dylan was quiet, sweet, and introverted, Jewel, bubbly and full of life. Angel was emotional and snotty in her teenage ways, and was the only one of the children who didn't like Casey.

Anyways, I could go on, but all you need to know is that I loved this book and all the drama that came with it. It sucked me right in and I will definitely re-read this again in the future to absorb all of the details and revisit the characters.

My Rating: 5/5