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A review by currant7
The Truth About Unspeakable Things by Emily A. Myers
5.0
Disclosure: I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the author. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.
This review can also be found in Currant7 Recommends.
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Emma Marshall is a travel, culture, and music freelance writer for Conde Nast and The Hub, New Orleans. Emma's past shaped her to look into life away from her family, to carve out a career and later a partner.
Julian Cole is the co-owner of Cole Creatives, Director of A&R, the new Lucid Records owner, a musician, and now Emma's new neighbor. He moved into Emma's neighborhood, away from Los Angeles, to start fresh. A rare opportunity in New Orlean gave him the push to venture outside of his comfort zone to focus on what is important - the music.
Coming into The Truth About Unspeakable Things, I had to prepare my emotions because of the trigger warnings. I was surprised that even with them, I was still very open in starting this book because the theme and the strong protagonist emerges.
What I like:-
1.) Captivating writing that will grab readers.
The writing is first-person, POV from Emma's side. This technique brings about much mystery and suspense. It brings about a better appreciation and puts readers in a clearer and emotional position like Emma. The method is honest and graphic; in that the traumatic scenes will tear readers up. Everything in the book - the good, the bad, and the ugly side of human nature - I get it. The author wants to show the violence that Emma experienced while juxtaposing it with later the "vengeance" through character growth, maturity, and strength-building.
2.) Complex protagonist and storyline!
**I will tell you right now - it is not just a redemption story but healing with justice one. Expect the unexpected.
Initially, my impression of Emma and her situation would be that the author would skim through her trauma, keep writing articles, and something else would happen, which is the usual formula for a redemption book. BUT BUT BUT I would not have realized how "deep" things were until she started deep-diving into fixing herself.
Emma's perception of her "issues" s character is a complex one with a past like her's - it would damage anyone, even before the trauma she endured. The author wrote Emma's character development imperfectly perfect. Emma is a broken and defeated woman. Readers will feel the same debilitating fear and paranoia as Emma as the evil in her life seems to have all the chess pieces to his advantage from the start.
As the story developed, Emma discovered that she no longer can keep silent, and the problem she faced was beyond ex-fiancé Beau and proved to be an even more massive feat that touches on other lives - villains and survivors. She had to decide on the length of her commitment to speak for the "fallen" and "beaten" survivors and provide justice and "closure" for the villains. Emma bounced back and forth her idea of action and reaction effect in the book.
Emma does find her "justice" and heals to find closure from her trauma. I was more worried about the aftermath of such "closure" since it came at the cost of lives and normalcy.
Bottom line: What Emma did do brought more respect than I could ever imagine. Emma morphed into a triumphant phoenix, coming up from all devastation that happened. She found courage and empowerment at a time when these secrets and "back-door dealings" were never spoken or discussed. She chose the "harder path" to represent the weak and, at the same time, maybe help the villains find their redemption. It is a pity that some of these villains chose to ignore their chance when so many others did just that - admit, forgive and change.
3.) Culture and Music Scene
I love how the author dives into the history of New Orlean's music scene through Julian and Emma's discussions about Lucid and some of the music scenes in their parts of the world - Los Angeles and New Orleans. The author also dived into art since Emma's a writer of art and culture in the area. It is reminiscent of how art historians describe and analyze artworks. (This is coming from an art historian's background.)
4.) Supporting (and expected) characters
Emma's best friend, Kat, is golden! She helped Emma during traumatic times and into the possibility of having a relationship again. She is patient and wise who helped Emma in many ways that made the story an unforgettable one.
Julian's part is also essential. Although many of the big scenes by 3/4th of the story are more on Emma's doing, he made Emma realize how much "more" she is after what she went through. He may not be privy to all of Emma's life, but his presence in Emma's key moments changed her big time.
Not giving away too much - many more characters came into play even more - just when Emma thought she was alone in her endeavors. These incredible and selfless supporting casts of characters helped Emma find her purpose and drive in shining a light on the injustices happening around her.
In summary, The Truth About Unspeakable Things is an excellent read to readers who love characters that mature, grow, and become stronger after tragedies. It has all the elements of all great second-chance, redemption, and suspense novels. It is pretty heavy for and might not be for everyone, but it is a critical book to remind us and society that truths need to come out for peace and healing to happen.
PS: It is noteworthy to mention that this book is the author's debut book offering. With works like this, I cannot wait to see what else is in store for readers in the coming months from this promising author!
Believe me - this book is worth every word!
This review can also be found in Currant7 Recommends.
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Emma Marshall is a travel, culture, and music freelance writer for Conde Nast and The Hub, New Orleans. Emma's past shaped her to look into life away from her family, to carve out a career and later a partner.
Julian Cole is the co-owner of Cole Creatives, Director of A&R, the new Lucid Records owner, a musician, and now Emma's new neighbor. He moved into Emma's neighborhood, away from Los Angeles, to start fresh. A rare opportunity in New Orlean gave him the push to venture outside of his comfort zone to focus on what is important - the music.
Coming into The Truth About Unspeakable Things, I had to prepare my emotions because of the trigger warnings. I was surprised that even with them, I was still very open in starting this book because the theme and the strong protagonist emerges.
What I like:-
1.) Captivating writing that will grab readers.
The writing is first-person, POV from Emma's side. This technique brings about much mystery and suspense. It brings about a better appreciation and puts readers in a clearer and emotional position like Emma. The method is honest and graphic; in that the traumatic scenes will tear readers up. Everything in the book - the good, the bad, and the ugly side of human nature - I get it. The author wants to show the violence that Emma experienced while juxtaposing it with later the "vengeance" through character growth, maturity, and strength-building.
2.) Complex protagonist and storyline!
**I will tell you right now - it is not just a redemption story but healing with justice one. Expect the unexpected.
Initially, my impression of Emma and her situation would be that the author would skim through her trauma, keep writing articles, and something else would happen, which is the usual formula for a redemption book. BUT BUT BUT I would not have realized how "deep" things were until she started deep-diving into fixing herself.
Emma's perception of her "issues" s character is a complex one with a past like her's - it would damage anyone, even before the trauma she endured. The author wrote Emma's character development imperfectly perfect. Emma is a broken and defeated woman. Readers will feel the same debilitating fear and paranoia as Emma as the evil in her life seems to have all the chess pieces to his advantage from the start.
As the story developed, Emma discovered that she no longer can keep silent, and the problem she faced was beyond ex-fiancé Beau and proved to be an even more massive feat that touches on other lives - villains and survivors. She had to decide on the length of her commitment to speak for the "fallen" and "beaten" survivors and provide justice and "closure" for the villains. Emma bounced back and forth her idea of action and reaction effect in the book.
Emma does find her "justice" and heals to find closure from her trauma. I was more worried about the aftermath of such "closure" since it came at the cost of lives and normalcy.
Bottom line: What Emma did do brought more respect than I could ever imagine. Emma morphed into a triumphant phoenix, coming up from all devastation that happened. She found courage and empowerment at a time when these secrets and "back-door dealings" were never spoken or discussed. She chose the "harder path" to represent the weak and, at the same time, maybe help the villains find their redemption. It is a pity that some of these villains chose to ignore their chance when so many others did just that - admit, forgive and change.
3.) Culture and Music Scene
I love how the author dives into the history of New Orlean's music scene through Julian and Emma's discussions about Lucid and some of the music scenes in their parts of the world - Los Angeles and New Orleans. The author also dived into art since Emma's a writer of art and culture in the area. It is reminiscent of how art historians describe and analyze artworks. (This is coming from an art historian's background.)
4.) Supporting (and expected) characters
Emma's best friend, Kat, is golden! She helped Emma during traumatic times and into the possibility of having a relationship again. She is patient and wise who helped Emma in many ways that made the story an unforgettable one.
Julian's part is also essential. Although many of the big scenes by 3/4th of the story are more on Emma's doing, he made Emma realize how much "more" she is after what she went through. He may not be privy to all of Emma's life, but his presence in Emma's key moments changed her big time.
Not giving away too much - many more characters came into play even more - just when Emma thought she was alone in her endeavors. These incredible and selfless supporting casts of characters helped Emma find her purpose and drive in shining a light on the injustices happening around her.
In summary, The Truth About Unspeakable Things is an excellent read to readers who love characters that mature, grow, and become stronger after tragedies. It has all the elements of all great second-chance, redemption, and suspense novels. It is pretty heavy for and might not be for everyone, but it is a critical book to remind us and society that truths need to come out for peace and healing to happen.
PS: It is noteworthy to mention that this book is the author's debut book offering. With works like this, I cannot wait to see what else is in store for readers in the coming months from this promising author!
Believe me - this book is worth every word!