These Things Hidden

9/10 stars.

This book. OH MY GOD.

Here is another case of why I need to just buy books if I feel as though I want to read them. I must've looked at this book five different times before choosing to buy it. I'm so glad that I did decide to buy it. I've read her first novel, The Weight of Silence and enjoyed it quite a lot. This book was something completely new. It is a mystery, and one that turns and twists many times, so unexpectedly. I was reading it in the car while my dad and I were going to do driving lessons, and when we arrived I was so close to the ending and I did not want to put it down! Sadly, I had to. I finished it on the way home though.

These Things Hidden tells the story of a 21-year old named Allison who was convicted for a crime that the reader is unaware of at the beginning. The story is told from four points of view, and while I do not always like this style of writing, Gudenkauf did a good job of blending together the different perspectives, and all of the perspectives were extremely important in order to have the story be able to play out in the way that it did.

At times this book had be holding my breath, and at times I wanted to scream "NO!". I was entranced by the different characters, and I like how Gudenkauf has some of the characters talk in first person, whereas with others they are talked about in third person. I believe that this shifting is effective based on how they play into the story. The two sisters speak in first person, whereas the other two women are spoken of in the third person.

Well worth the read if you need a new and interesting mystery. Though this is not for those extremely faint of heart, as it does cover some disturbing topics.

I would also like to comment on the cover. I love this cover so much, and if you read the book you can see how symbolic the cover is as well.