Her Family Secret

The father you never knew, has left behind a heartbreaking secret... June Westwood is devastated by the news the father she never met has died. Now the truth about why Jasper abandoned her as a child will be buried forever. Escaping to the secluded beach house she's inherited, June hopes to spend time bonding with her two little daughters, away from her hectic job and failing marriage. On the wild shores of the Pacific Northwest, her father's hideaway leaves June breathless. But it's his oil paintings decorating every wall that surprise her most. How could someone paint other people so beautifully, but reject those closest to him? And why is every drawer in her father's workshop locked? June hopes her new neighbor-her father's apprentice Caleb-will provide the answers. But Caleb won't talk about the past. Then, hidden in her father's workshop, June discovers a box of newspaper clippings that reveal the shocking reason why her father left years ago-and uncovers Caleb's own devastating secret... When her old life comes calling, June has an impossible decision to make. Unsure what's best for her girls, and if she can trust Caleb, will digging deeper into her father's dark past heal or destroy her precious family? An absolutely heartbreaking and emotional page-turner about the incredible strength of family bonds, how we can hurt those closest to us, and the healing power of love. Fans of Diane Chamberlain, Kerry Lonsdale and Kerry Fisher will devour this powerful read from award-winning author Melissa Wiesner.

Rarely do we find an honest account of incest in the news. Though it has long been taboo in almost every culture, and for sound biological reasons, the occurrences of incest continue in many families and communities. Having a rational conversation about it, however, is difficult to achieve. Do not expect lurid accounts of threats and torture and kinky S&M from this book. This story is told with names changed, from the point of view of the girl-a straightforward account of the relationship of father and daughter over nearly twenty years. As she grew into young adulthood, the father became protective, but not possessive. And the girl-becoming-woman began to understand her strengths, and to test them-eventually to break free, marry and have a productive life of her own. For most of the time, the relationship was a secret from the rest of the family, and certainly from the rest of the world. Eleanore Hill has chosen to stand up and proclaim herself a whole person of her own, and to share her experience publicly. Few have had the courage to do so, which makes this narrative especially valuable. In fact, when the book first came out in 1985, it garnered the Rhodora Prize, and was picked up by one of the major publishers, at a time when incest was scarcely talked about. These days, with digital publishing, many more writers have committed their stories to print, emboldened by Eleanore Hill's forthrightness with the "secret." Some publishers simply aim to titillate with the topic, hoping to benefit from prurient curiosity. For them, there will always be an audience. For the more serious-minded, this three-dimensional account of the topic brings it alive in a real sense, not as a cautionary tale or a scold, but to see, as it were, behind the headlines, as a human story that needs to be told, and told with integrity.

‘Each time my mother laid a finger on me... it was another step into the jaws of hell. Her abuse, more so than any other, destroyed me. It was the ultimate betrayal.’

Named one of Publishers Weekly’s Best of 2021 List in Comics. 2021 Top of the List Graphic Novel Pick In the spirit of Alison Bechdel’s Fun Home and Roz Chast’s Can’t We Talk About Something More Pleasant?, Margaret Kimball’s AND NOW I SPILL THE FAMILY SECRETS begins in the aftermath of a tragedy. In 1988, when Kimball is only four years old, her mother attempts suicide on Mother’s Day—and this becomes one of many things Kimball’s family never speaks about. As she searches for answers nearly thirty years later, Kimball embarks on a thrilling visual journey into the secrets her family has kept for decades. Using old diary entries, hospital records, home videos, and other archives, Margaret pieces together a narrative map of her childhood—her mother’s bipolar disorder, her grandmother’s institutionalization, and her brother’s increasing struggles—in an attempt to understand what no one likes to talk about: the fractures in her family. Both a coming-of-age story about family dysfunction and a reflection on mental health, AND NOW I SPILL THE FAMILY SECRETS is funny, poignant, and deeply inspiring in its portrayal of what drives a family apart and what keeps them together.

From the Sunday Times bestselling author Leaving Liverpool behind, Libby Gilbert embarks on a transformative journey to London with her newfound friend Suzie. Amidst the bustling city streets, they find Libby's parents' cherished stall on Petticoat Lane has been taken over and run into the ground by Libby's conniving uncle. Libby is determined to reclaim what rightfully belongs to her and with Suzie's support, she is able to bring the stall back to the way it used to be. But when they unravel a long-held family secret, unearthing the truth about her mother's past, will it shatter the bright future that lies ahead for Libby? WHY READERS LOVE KATIE FLYNN... 'Her characters are like old friends' 'Takes you on a journey of heartbreak and joy' 'Heartwarming romance' 'Hard to put down'

A heartbreaking and moving true story of two sisters separated at birth, and their journey towards finding each other, celebrating the true meaning of family. Helen Edwards grew up in a pit village in Tyneside in the post-war years, with her gran, aunties and uncles living nearby. She felt safe with them, but they could not protect her from her neglectful mother and violent father. Behind closed doors, she suffered years of abuse. Sometimes she talked to an imaginary sister, the only one who understood her pain. Jenny was adopted at six weeks and grew up in Newcastle. An only child, she knew she was loved, and with the support of her parents she went on to become a golfing champion, but still she felt that something was missing. . . Neither woman knew of the other's existence until, in her fifties, Jenny went looking for her birth family and found her sister Helen. Together they searched for the truth about Jenny's birth – and uncovered a legacy of secrets that overturned everything Helen thought she knew about her family. Happily, they also discovered that they were not just sisters, they were twins. Inspirational and moving, My Secret Sister by Helen Edwards and Jenny Lee Smith, is the story of two women brave enough to confront their past, and strong enough to let love not bitterness define them.