Marin Montgomery’s What We Forgot To Bury

 

Marin Montgomery’s What We Forgot To Bury- Worth the time, if you have space in your TBR pile

Best thriller I have ever read? That is an unfair litmus test. Deserving of an audience in it’s own right? Absolutely.

FYI this review is very surface level.. The secrets in the novel are well crafted but very brittle and once known cannot be unlearned, so I will avoid all size spoilers.

Presented in a classic multiple narrative structure, chapters alternate between 17 year old high schooler Elizabeth (Elle) and 30 something Charlotte.

Charlotte is eccentric and fearful pregnant woman. She exhibits signs of extreme paranoia, some seeming elements of compulsiveness, and gut wrenching fear tied to decades prior abuses. While Charlotte is frequently left alone by her husband’s common business trips, her upscale suburban neighborhood, and the passwords to her husband’s email account help her with a facade of safety. During an epic windstorm, a panic inducing knock on the door by a stranger changes everything.

Elle inserts herself into Charlottes life not by accident. Under the guise of being an innocent local teen, Elle manipulates information from Carlotte, desparate to assist her father. Elles father is imprisoned for violent behavior, attempted murder, and the death of Charlottes unborn child.. He maintains he is innocent, and has plied his daughter into the search for proof. Elle for some damn reason decided this is the best way to go about it… Apparently her warning bells are broken because she runs full speed into this emotional maelstrom. All of Elles own baggage follows her into the wave.

While this was a pretty great read, admittedly, there were moments where I wondered if the story was circular and I was making any plot progress. By chapter end, I was always locked back in with some subtleness, a simple twist, or behavior unexpected. The circular info in retrospect was a required process for the plot. 3-4 times I believed I had the plot worked out, but was pleased I was off base. On a second read (prob not a book I would read twice) I am sure that I would see more clues that would kill some red herrings.