The Things We Knew by Catherine West {A Book Review}

Let's see if I've still got the ability to review a book after several weeks of not reading at all! 

First book up after my break, The Things We Knew by Catherine West. This book was a great read for my current season of life. Twists and turns to keep me interested but so well written that I didn't have to think too hard! 

The Things We Knew is a novel based in Nantucket. I was super intrigued by that because that area just seems like a place I'd love to visit someday in the future. The Carlisle family is the focus of the book and the main character is Lynette. She's the youngest of five children and circumstances in life find her home caring for her father who is not well. 

The story follows Lynette as she works to bring her siblings home so they can determine how the family estate should we cared for. In the meantime, Lynette is remembering things from her past and trying to put them together. She was 11 years old when her mother died and nearly 12 years later, she begins to have recollection of that night. She's an artist and she's painting through the thoughts/recalls in her mind. 

A family friend, Nick, also comes into the picture and a romance is budding along the way. There are so many twists and turns as Lynette remembers that day all those years ago. Her siblings are dealing with their own tragedies: abuse, impending divorce, addiction, etc. 

I loved the writing style of this author. I felt like she really brought the characters to life on the pages. I loved that the story wasn't all roses and sunshine but more a picture of what real like may look like when a family is going through hardship.

The one downside for me is that I hoped for a little more faith to be involved in the story. It's there but it's not as present as I thought it might be. Nonetheless, I thought this book was excellent!