Title: Our Dark Secret
Author: Jenny Quintana
Published: February 11th 2020
Publisher: Pan Macmillan
Pages: 320
Genres: Fiction, Crime, Mystery, Suspense, Thriller
RRP: $29.99
Rating: 3.5 stars
From the author of The Missing Girl, Jenny Quintana’s gripping novel, Our Dark Secret, tells the story of two girls, two deaths and two decades of silence . . .
The crazy girls, they called them – or at least, Elizabeth liked to think they did. As a teenager in the late 1970s, she was clever, overweight and a perfect victim for the bullies. Then Rachel and her family arrived in town and, for Elizabeth, it was as if a light had been switched on. She was drawn to the bright and beautiful Rachel like a moth to a flame.
Rachel had her own reasons for wanting Elizabeth as a friend, and although their relationship was far from equal, Elizabeth would do anything for Rachel.
Then the first body was discovered.
Twenty years on, Elizabeth wants nothing more than to keep the secrets of her teenage years where they belong: in the past. But another body has been found, and she can’t keep running from what happened.
Can she?
Review:
Jenny Quintana’s second novel following the release of The Missing Girl, is another heart-breaking thriller. Our Dark Secret is a tale of complicated teen relationships, family relations, the past, silence and death. This slow burn style mystery novel issues a sense of dread from the opening to the close of this absorbing tale.
Our Dark Secret tracks back to the 1970s where we meet two teenage girls. The first is Elizabeth, a studious girl, clever but the target of school bullies. When Elizabeth encounters Rachel, who has just arrived in the area, Elizabeth’s life begins to look up. Together, these two very different souls become friends, each taking what they need from the other. However, it soon becomes clear that this is an uneven friendship, with Elizabeth sacrificing a great deal to secure her friendship with Rachel. Elizabeth goes above and beyond for Rachel. When a body is discovered, it will have far reaching effects for years to come. Twenty years later, Elizabeth is a grown woman, who does not want to revisit her troubled past. She believes her difficult teen years should stay buried in the past. But when another dead body appears, Elizabeth realises it is high time that she confronted the harsh truth of her past.
I reviewed Jenny Quintana’s debut novel, The Missing Girl back in late December 2017. It is great to see this author produce a brand new thriller, which again focusses on the mechanics of tenuous family relations and the domestic front. Quintana’s emphasis on the psychology of difficult lives and human frailty is again employed in Our Dark Secret.
I was initially drawn to Our Dark Secret by the intriguing synopsis and my appreciation for this author’s previous work. Our Dark Secret is well written and is characterised by some solid storytelling skills. The prose is descriptive and very atmospheric. I felt deeply entrenched in the happenings of this book. The characters were both vividly drawn, but also mysterious, so I was never quite sure if I could trust them or not. Our Dark Secret is not a fast paced suspense style thriller, it reads as an introspective study of human nature. The tension builds at a gentle pace, with little clues thrown in for the reader to place.
Within Our Dark Secret Quintana delves into a number of affecting themes. From tenuous family relations, to complicated friendships, obsession, intent, teen issues, bullying, self-esteem, love, separation, divorce, infidelity, secrets, silence and abuse. Some of these issues may bring a sense of understanding, while others may make the reader quite uncomfortable. However, Quintana does approach to each of her resounding themes is touched with sensitivity and psychological insight.
I did find a great deal to appreciate about Our Dark Secret, I liked the overall structure of the book, which is concurrently set between 1999 and the late 1970s, along with some glimpses into 1969. These year references are clearly signposted for the reader at the opening of each chapter, which I found useful in guiding me through the unfolding story.
In the end, I consider Our Dark Secret to be a compelling slow burn domestic thriller. The strong underlining focus on the psychological aspects of a tumultuous friendship, a problematic family life and the weight of tightly held secrets bears down hard on this novel. Do check this one out if you appreciate introspective thrillers.
Our Dark Secret by Jenny Quintana was published on 11th January 2020 by Pan Macmillan. Details on how to purchase the book can be found here.
To learn more about the author of Our Dark Secret, Jenny Quintana, visit here.
*Thanks extended to Pan Macmillan for providing a free copy of this book for review purposes.
