Beth Walsh and her three siblings have made the difficult decision to put their father into a care facility. Beth is on an extended maternity leave, and she decides that she will clean out his house. Truth be told, she's struggling with motherhood and could use the break. Deciding to bring her dad some of his art supplies, she makes her way up to the attic—her former childhood playroom now art studio—and is surprised to discover that the door is padlocked. But even more shocking is what's inside. Amongst his paintings, her father has been hoarding junk and there are papers everywhere.
Picking her way through the chaos, Beth finds what appears to be a journal entry in her late mother's handwriting. The children grew up believing that their mother had died in a car accident when they were very young, but this note suggests otherwise. Their mother, Grace, was a woman crippled from postpartum depression and her husband, Patrick, was not the caring and wonderful father that the siblings know and love. He was drinking heavily and profoundly unhappy. Grace hung on by writing her deepest, darkest thoughts and fears into a notebook that she kept hidden from Patrick.
What Beth learns is that even though they were separated by decades, she has strong emotional ties to her mother. Beth and Grace share the same overwhelming struggles and stigma attached to postpartum depression—they are bound by the expectations society places on women of every generation.
Truths I Never Told You is a harrowing look at the complexities of motherhood, the limitations of memory, and how lies can tear a family apart.
I recently had the privilege of attending an amazing #HarperPresents event in Toronto with Kelly Rimmer.
This touching novel takes a deep dive into postpartum depression occurring decades apart. Told from Beth in the 90s and Grace's notes from the 50s, Rimmer depicts what life was like, and is still like for women that are suffering.
Moving and poignant, Rimmer's latest issue-driven work is strongly paced with some well-timed plot twists. The characters are complex and considered. Although there are some heavier topics, Rimmer tackles them with care and compassion—you can tell she did her research.
Although categorized as historical fiction, there is an added layer of mystery to the story. With lots to discuss, this will make an excellent book club choice.
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KELLY RIMMER is the USA Today bestselling women's fiction author of ten books that have been translated into more than 20 language.
Rimmer lives in rural Australia with her family and fantastically naughty dogs, Sully and Basil.
Q&A with Kelly Rimmer
What inspired you to write Truths I Never Told You?
The idea behind the story started with a curiosity about post-partum depression. I heard the statistic that one in five women develop the condition after the birth of a child and I was so shocked by it. I thought to myself—given how common this is, why don’t we talk about it?
Which character do you relate to the most in Truths I Never Told You?
Most of us feel like victims of our circumstances at some point during our lives, at least for brief periods of time. I’ve certainly felt that way before—but writing a character like Grace, who lived in time where she had very little choice over how her life unfolded, really put that feeling into perspective for me. I loved writing the character of Beth too. To me she is loyal, loving and brave—but also ultimately humble and willing to be vulnerable. Despite that, my favorite character in this book was Maryanne—she’s fierce and determined and so courageous in her pursuit of change and knowledge, and that extends to a willingness to learn harsh lessons from life itself. Although Maryanne makes some heartbreaking decisions along the way, she always remains true to her values. A groundbreaking feminist like Maryanne represents something of a bridge between Grace’s powerlessness and the easier access Beth has to a life she can control.
What message do you hope readers take away from your story?
I hope that the story encourages people to talk more about how difficult early motherhood can be, and to be more aware of how new mothers in their lives might be feeling isolated or struggling.
Do you plan your books in advance or let them develop as you write?
I’m a compulsive planner – I always know exactly where the story is going to go, before I actually start writing it. I’d never finish writing a book if I tried to wing it, and I’m so impressed by writer friends who can just fly by the seat of their pants!!
Have you ever had a character take over a story, and if so, who was it and why?
Because I plan my books, I tend not to let my characters run away with the plot too much, but the way they engage with the action and make the plots unfold sometimes surprises me.
Which one of the characters in this novel was the hardest to write and why?
It was very difficult to put myself into Grace’s shoes. Even writing a character with depression is challenging, but trying to immerse myself in the world of a woman who was so isolated with her struggle and so unsupported by her broader community was heartbreaking. I interviewed more than a dozen women as I was researching for Grace and Beth’s stories, and I have so much admiration for them and for all women who walk a journey with postpartum depression.
Which character in any of your books (Truths I Never Told You or otherwise) is dearest to you and why?
In my last historical fiction novel, The Things We Cannot Say, I wrote a character named Eddie, who is a seven year old boy with autism spectrum disorder. I wanted to write about a child with ASD who is both loved and loving, and who is defined by his strengths as much as his challenges. Eddie will always be a very dear character to me, and I’ve been so honored by the way readers around the world have responded to him too.
What did you want to be as a child? Was it an author?
I knew I wanted to be an author from a very early age. My dad remembers me telling him in Kindergarten that I was going to write books “when I grew up”!
What does a day in the life of Kelly Rimmer look like?
Every day is different, especially at the moment when I’m self-isolating at home and trying to school my children too!! I always try to fit in some time outside either tending to the garden or walking the trails on our property, but beyond that, it’s generally an unpredictable mix of reading, writing, teaching and cooking or cleaning.
What do you use to inspire you when you get Writer’s Block?
I try to have two manuscripts on the go at any one time. If I get really stuck, I just switch books. I also skip scenes if they aren’t coming easily. For me, finishing a draft is all about momentum – so if I hit a point in the story where I can’t quite keep the words flowing, I’ll just write around it and come back to it later.
What has been the hardest thing about publishing? What has been the most fun?
I still really love the way it feels to picture a story, and the challenge of trying to translate the ideas in my mind into words on the page will always thrill me. It’s taken a while for me to learn how to balance that creative side with the more pragmatic aspects to publishing. As a writer at home tapping away at your keyboard, you’re master of the story and it’s an intoxicating power – but as an author working with a whole team of people at your publisher, you have to learn how to be flexible. I’ve slowly learned that for my books to be as good as they can be, I don’t just need to endure editorial feedback, I need to learn to relish it. When I’m immersed in the story, I just can’t see the big picture the way my editors can. The author’s name goes on the spine, but the best books are the result of the work of a whole team of people at the publishing house too.
What advice would you give budding authors about publishing?
No word you write is ever wasted, even if it doesn’t end up in a book. Most writers I know have thrown out entire manuscripts at different points during their career. You have to learn how to okay with the idea that sometimes you’re writing just to refine your voice or to figure out what does and doesn’t work for you. You have to love storytelling enough to be willing to do it even if the manuscript is never destined to become a book.
What was the last book you read?
I’m currently reading (and loving) an advance copy of The Imperfects by Amy Meyerson, which will be published in late April.
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