We Don't Talk About Carol: A Novel
NATIONAL BESTSELLER • A dedicated journalist unearths a generations-old family secret—and a connection to a string of missing girls that hits way too close to home—in this “nail-biting debut” (Booklist).
“A well-written, emotionally wrenching tale.”—Associated Press
A PUBLISHERS WEEKLY BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR
In the wake of her grandmother's passing, Sydney Singleton finds a hidden photograph of a little girl who looks more like Sydney than her own sister or mother. She soon discovers the mystery girl in the photograph is her aunt, Carol, who was one of six North Carolina Black girls to go missing in the 1960s. For the last several decades, not a soul has talked about Carol or what really happened to her. But now, with her grandmother gone and Sydney looking to start a family of her own, she is determined to unravel the truth behind her long-lost aunt’s disappearance, and the sinister silence that surrounds her.
Unfortunately, this is familiar territory for Sydney: Years earlier, while she worked the crime beat as a journalist, her obsession with the case of another missing girl led to a psychotic break. And now, in the suffocating grip of fertility treatments and a marriage that's beginning to crumble, Sydney’s relentless pursuit for answers might just lead her down the same path of self-destruction. As she delves deeper into Carol's fate, her own troubled past reemerges, clawing its way to the surface with a vengeance. The web of secrets and lies entangling her family leaves Sydney questioning everything—her fixation on the missing girls, her future as a mom, and her trust in those she knows and loves.
Delving into family, community, secrets, and motherhood, We Don’t Talk About Carol is a gripping and deeply emotional story about overcoming the rot at the roots of our family trees—and what we’ll do for those we love.
“A well-written, emotionally wrenching tale.”—Associated Press
A PUBLISHERS WEEKLY BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR
In the wake of her grandmother's passing, Sydney Singleton finds a hidden photograph of a little girl who looks more like Sydney than her own sister or mother. She soon discovers the mystery girl in the photograph is her aunt, Carol, who was one of six North Carolina Black girls to go missing in the 1960s. For the last several decades, not a soul has talked about Carol or what really happened to her. But now, with her grandmother gone and Sydney looking to start a family of her own, she is determined to unravel the truth behind her long-lost aunt’s disappearance, and the sinister silence that surrounds her.
Unfortunately, this is familiar territory for Sydney: Years earlier, while she worked the crime beat as a journalist, her obsession with the case of another missing girl led to a psychotic break. And now, in the suffocating grip of fertility treatments and a marriage that's beginning to crumble, Sydney’s relentless pursuit for answers might just lead her down the same path of self-destruction. As she delves deeper into Carol's fate, her own troubled past reemerges, clawing its way to the surface with a vengeance. The web of secrets and lies entangling her family leaves Sydney questioning everything—her fixation on the missing girls, her future as a mom, and her trust in those she knows and loves.
Delving into family, community, secrets, and motherhood, We Don’t Talk About Carol is a gripping and deeply emotional story about overcoming the rot at the roots of our family trees—and what we’ll do for those we love.
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✨ Summarized by Bookclubs AI
Readers say *We Don't Talk About Carol* by Kristen L. Berry offers a haunting, slow-burn mystery interwoven with emotional depth that resonates deeply...
This book was heavy for me in some sort of way... and I do not know why!!!! This is my first book of the author, and I do not know if I want to read more books by her, ones that challenge my emotional existence :)
The themes revolved around a broken home, secrets, family, struggles with fertility, mental health issues... quite a packed one...
I liked the way it ended, even though it left me with a lot of questions still.
This is the first book I read this year and it got me out of my reading slump! I kept seeing this book on pinterest and thought I'd give it a try. I am so glad that I did. I feel that there are so many themes throughout this book that I personally connect with. I think the author did an outstanding job on this book and I enjoyed her writing, I wish they had more books written so I could read them all!
First book for this Author and so well done. I was thoroughly engrossed in the book and couldn’t put it down. The fact that the subject of the book is accurate even if the exact characters are not is heart retching. Look forward to her next book.
I absolutely loved this book from start to finish! It grabbed my attention from the very first page and held it all the way through. Although a work of fiction, the story explores themes and topics that are often underreported, underinvestigated, and overlooked by the media issues that deserve far more attention..."black women."
Sydney Singleton begins investigating the strange disappearance of her paternal aunt, a relative she only learns about after her grandmother’s passing. As Sydney digs deeper, she discovers that five other Black girls went missing around the same timenone ever found, dead or alive. The book masterfully uncovers layers of family secrets and long-held silence echoing something my mother repeated "what happens in this house stays in this house." The plot twist left my mouth wide open. I give this ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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