Hidden
In McKenzie’s delicate, honest exploration of secrets, family, and the varied meanings of true love, the lives of two women intersect in ways they neither planned nor wished for when the man connecting them is suddenly killed. Claire and Tish don’t know one another, but the man they share needs equally important things from each of them. When Claire first met Jeff, she was dating his brother. Despite eventually becoming Jeff’s wife and the mother of his child, Jeff always harbored the fear that he was Claire’s second choice. When he and coworker Tish recognize each other as kindred spirits, a love affair  emerges that is theirs alone to define. After Jeff’s death, Claire starts to ferret out the truth of her husband’s relationship to Tish, forcing Tish to decide whether to honor Jeff’s memory by destroying the lives of everyone connected to them both or staying silent. Told from alternating viewpoints, the narrative and the perhaps unexpected ending allow readers to get a deeper glimpse into each character, expanding them beyond the caricatures they might otherwise have been. --Julie Trevelyan