Review: The Truth According to Us by Annie Barrows

The Truth According to Us by Annie Barrows
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is such a lovely novel that does such a wonderful job of making the sense of place so central to the story that it's almost like another character in the novel. I was eager to read this when I found out that Annie Barrows was one of the authors of one of my favorite books from 2010, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. I hope that this new novel doesn't suffer from comparison to that novel but I worry that it might. It's not quite as compulsively readable as that book. In fact, it's a very different sort of book ... in a good way.

I love how Macedonia, West Virginia came alive in this novel. The family that is explored in the story was fascinating to me. The time of the novel is during the Great Depression so it was interesting to see that time period play out in a small town in America. Although not as readable as her previous novel, this one was still a wonderful reading journey. It is a more quiet novel ... there isn't a ton of action. It feels slow at times - but never boring. More leisurely. I really enjoyed the exploration of family secrets, growing up in a small town, the experience of growing up, forgiveness and redemption.

I definitely recommend this novel - it's such a lovely story with an intriguing place and characters that become like good friends.

NOTE: I received a galley of this novel from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.