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A Sea of Unspoken Things by Adrienne Young

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5.0

Adrienne Young develops characters you will think about even when you’re not reading, but perhaps her biggest strength as a writer is her ability to convey a setting in such a poignant way. The deep woods of Northern California are good at keeping secrets - and in A Sea of Unspoken Things there are a few unsolved mysteries lurking about.

James Golden returns to rural Hawthorne after nearly 20 years away. She’s there to take care of her twin brother’s effects after he was killed in a nearby gorge. Johnny never left Hawthorne and developed a life there researching endangered owls. There are secrets in his photos and field notes that James has to unravel.

James returns to find childhood friends in adult roles - one of them owns the cafe in town and her best friend/former boyfriend Micah is also still there, leading fishing trips on the local rivers. There is love, mystery, history, intrigue, miscommunication, and a mother’s devotion all tied into figuring out what really happened to Johnny. An engaging and endearing read.