The Truth About Keeping Secrets by Savannah Brown

The original investigation concluded with most of the evidence pointing to Sal, who was found dead in the woods, apparently by suicide. For her senior capstone project, Pip researches the disappearance of former Fairview High student Andie, last seen on April 18, 2014, by her younger sister, Becca. Pip has known and liked Sal since childhood he’d supported her when she was being bullied in middle school. While the community-including Sydney-is mostly white, brown-skinned June is mixed race (ethnicities not specified), and there is some diversity of race and sexuality in secondary characters.Ī captivatingly moody, introspective drama.Įveryone believes that Salil Singh killed his girlfriend, Andrea Bell, five years ago-except Pippa Fitz-Amobi.

Tough and morbid topics are broached-death, abuse, homophobia-but not sensationalized. In the final act of the story, the mystery component-June’s secrets, the text messages, Sydney’s father’s death, and the identity of the true antagonist-tumble out in a fast (if somewhat predictable) whirlwind of pages. The emotional character- and relationship-driven story arcs move slowly without sacrificing narrative tension. At the same time, she develops a friendship with June-who had been one of her father’s patients-that quickly turns into an infatuation and then obsession (made awkward when Sydney befriends June’s longtime boyfriend). While drowning in grief-depicted in a visceral, pitch-perfect first-person voice-Sydney links her father’s death to mysterious text messages she’s receiving that contain harassing, homophobic content. She’s surprised to see her high school’s resident golden girl, June, at the funeral. Sydney’s devastated by her father’s sudden death and can’t help thinking there was more to the story than a random accident-after all, as the town’s only therapist, he knew everyone’s secrets. In the depths of intense grief, a teen suspects her father’s fatal car accident was actually murder.

The Truth About Keeping Secrets by Savannah Brown