The Stories We Tell

June 1, 2014
Eve Morrison owns a successful letterpress studio known for a greeting card line she and her sister, Willa, devised while growing up in a fundamentalist household. Her marriage to old-money southern gentleman Teddy is already under stress, but the tension ratchets up unbearably when Teddy is involved in a car accident in which Willa is seriously injured. Eve can't figure out what actually happened that night. Is Teddy having an affair? Were the two involved in the death of a homeless man? Was Willa, a recovering alcoholic, drinking? Henry paints an intriguing portrait of a woman surrounded by people who may have something to hide. Eventually, Eve is forced to recognize and face the problems in her marriage even if that means losing someone she loves. The themes of marriage, motherhood, and the price of success are standard for women's fiction, but Henry has mastered the art of the slow reveal, leading the reader down unexpected paths. Readers who enjoy southern women's fiction la Joshilyn Jackson (Someone Else's Love Story, 2013) will appreciate this emotionally satisfying novel.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)