Tackling the broader issue of missing persons and people who disappear, The Ones We Keep by Bobbie Jean Huff will 
challenge any reader whilst simultaneously posing some rhetorical questions about the nature of love and forgiveness.
When Olivia’s perfect family travel to Vermont on holidays, she returns from a forest walk acknowledging she is perhaps the happiest she has ever been in her life and naturally, it is at that moment that tragedy strikes. Returning up the path towards the cabins having fallen asleep on her hike, she sees police and ambulance and learns from two teenage girls that a child has drowned.
Not wishing to face the reality that one of her three boys are dead or even wanting to know which one, Olivia makes the split second decision to flee, return to her home to collect an original Constable painting given to her by her late mother and simply disappear forever. As we follow the lives of her eldest son Brian and estranged husband Harry, we journey with Olivia on what it means to live in constant state of purgatory, guilt and shock as she tries to forge a simple life with no graces with the monies raised from selling the painting.
Whilst the overarching themes of missing persons, abandonment, and loss are hard hitters, there were many lighter notes of love, salvation and success tempered throughout that balanced the novel and allowed for a consistent thrum of tension to be developed. As a kind of harsh realism, the writing and content certainly didn’t take any prisoners and yet simultaneously exploring Brian, Rory and Olivia’s life as they move through time, experience love and loss again, even 911 was rewarding.
For the most part though, there was this deep sense that the purpose was to ultimately challenge perspective given we often make assumptions about why it is people choose to disappear. Thus, whether or not the reader can remain connected to Olivia despite the fallout of her actions, particular with respect to Brian’s significant abandonment issues that invariably lead to addiction, is the real test. For the most part, despite the big punches, I adored the musical tones that sat at the core and loved that forgiveness was a beacon of light in the darkness.
Book Info:
Publication: 18th January 2022 | Sourcebooks Landmarks |
A quiet lakeside resort in Vermont seems like the perfect summer getaway for Olivia and Harry Somerville and their three young boys. But in a single moment, their idyllic family retreat becomes a mother’s worst nightmare. Returning from a solo hike one afternoon, Olivia learns from a passing stranger that one of her sons has drowned―but not which one.
In that moment, Olivia makes a panicked decision that will change her family forever.
If she never knows which son has drowned, can Olivia convince herself that none of them have? By shielding herself from reality, can she continue to live in a world where all three boys are still alive?
An emotional and heartfelt meditation on the nature of loss, the gift of recovery, and the bonds of love, The Ones We Keep tells the story of one family as they learn to face their grief and fight for hope.
Your next gripping book club read exploring the depths of a mother’s love, the endurance of family, and the mind-bending paths we take to shield ourselves from heartache.
