WHEN THE TRUTH UNRAVELS by Ruthanne Snow
I am an affiliate of Bookshop.org and Libro.fm, online retailers that support independent booksellers. If you make a purchase by clicking through the links in this post, I will receive a commission. For more information, see my “About” page.
Elin, Jenna, Ket, and Rosie have been best friends since forever. But since Elin’s suicide attempt, the dynamic of their foursome has been somewhat changed as each of them struggles to process the event and tries to figure out how to be a friend to Elin now that they know she is not as happy-go-lucky as she always seemed. They each wonder why Elin tried to end her life, but Elin won’t talk about it. But on the night of senior prom, a frightening turn of events will force the friends to confront everything that they haven’t been talking about–because it turns out that Elin isn’t the only one who has been hiding something.
A balanced blend of suspense and compelling character development drives this story about relationships and identity. Elin’s depression is realistically portrayed, as are her friends varied reactions to it as they struggle to understand what their friend is going through. But the story is as much Jenna’s, Ket’s, and Rosie’s as it is Elin’s. Each character has a struggle independent of Elin, and must therefore wrestle not only with their own issues, but with the desire to put their own lives on the back burner to help their friend–something which is not always possible or healthy. For me, this book was a page turner and thoroughly enjoyable. The ending was a bit forced and expository, but since the real point of the book was the journey to get there, I didn’t find it disappointing. I highly recommend this novel to teens who enjoy realistic fiction.
Susan the Librarian 