This follows directly on from Before the Storm one year later but does stand perfectly well alone – only you’ll get more from it if you have previously read the first. It is small-town America and deals with big issues in the aftermath of a tragedy within the community and how folk find it difficult to forgive. Very much Jodi Picoult or Anita Shreve territory.
Nineteen-year-old Maggie Lockwood spent a year in prison for her part in a fire that cost three lives. The scars carried by the surviving victims - inside and out - are still raw and Maggie's release from jail does nothing to free her from the guilt.
Returning home, Maggie hides herself away, too afraid to see Keith, the boy she grew up with, played with as a child - and recently learnt is her half-brother. Keith nearly lost his life in the fire and the emotional and physical wounds he carries have changed him forever. With childhood innocence gone, Maggie and Keith must learn to come to terms with their new lives, but trying to move forward will have deadly consequences.
Diane Chamberlain is a multiple Sunday Times and New York Times bestselling author, beloved by readers around the world for stories that are rich with emotion, laced with secrets and that inspire thoughtful conversations. Born and raised in New Jersey, Diane obtained a master’s degree in social work in San Diego. She then worked in hospitals before opening her own private psychotherapy practice, focusing primarily on at-risk teenagers. This background as a psychotherapist has given Diane great insight into the secrets that families hold beneath the surface and how destructive they can be when they come to light. She has observed first-hand the ability of those under tremendous pressure to tap into their inner strength – a resilience that inspires her most-loved characters.
Diane Chamberlain has written twenty-nine bestselling novels, and her books have been published in more than twenty languages. She makes her home in North Carolina with her partner, photographer John Pagliuca, and her Shetland Sheepdog, Cole.
