A haunting collection of twenty-five interconnected stories that blur the line between memory and fiction, “The Secrets We Keep” explores the hidden dynamics of family and community through the eyes of a narrator revisiting her childhood in a working-class neighborhood. These semi-autobiographical tales reveal how secrets function as both protective forces and sources of harm, shaping the bonds between family members while creating empty spaces where names used to exist.
From the faded photograph of a Ziegfeld Follies dancer hiding a dark truth to the mysterious contents of a war veteran's dresser drawer, each story peels back layers of carefully guarded information passed down through generations. Set against the backdrop of post-war America, the collection follows residents of a diverse urban block—from the “Bottle Babies” struggling with addiction to the unlicensed doctor who treats the neighborhood's forgotten children.
The narrator guides readers through a landscape of inherited myths, bloodlines, and personal memories that continue to influence future generations. These stories examine how people express their truths through overheard conversations, instances of missing persons, and brief moments of exposure in both public spaces and domestic environments.
With prose that captures the cadence of whispered confessions and the weight of unspoken knowledge, “The Secrets We Keep” illuminates the ways secrets maintain their presence through empty spaces and unattended moments. This compelling debut reveals how the stories we think we've forgotten often contain the keys to understanding who we've become.
