In this haunting short story of loyalty and betrayal, a young woman in early 1900s Massachusetts discovers that in navigating her treacherous coming-of-age, she must find her voice first.
For fatefully observant Adeline, growing up carries an ominous warning from her adulterous mother: don't say a word. Adeline vows to never speak again. But that's not her only secret. After her mother takes a housekeeping job at a lighthouse off the tip of Cape Ann, a local woman vanishes. The key to the mystery lies with Adeline, the silent witness. New York Times bestselling author of The Rules of Magic Alice Hoffman crafts a beautiful, heart-wrenching short story.
Alice Hoffman's Everything My Mother Taught Me is part of Inheritance, a collection of five stories about secrets, unspoken desires, and dangerous revelations between loved ones. Each piece can be read or listened to in a single setting. By yourself, behind closed doors, or shared with someone you trust.
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[There are those who insist that mothers are born with love for their children and place them before all other things, including their own needs and desires]***
(Amazon Original Stories, 19 December 2019, 24 pages, ebook, borrowed from @AmazonKindle #PrimeReading)
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I'm a big fan of Hoffman's work so was looking forward to reading this Amazon Original story. I was not disappointed. This story works on every level. I love the fact Hoffman uses a first person narrator. This makes this short, intense and haunting story all the more intimate and powerful. The story seems quite simple at the start, lulling you into a false sense of security before the undertones become subtly darker. This was an intense read.
