THE SECRETS WE KEEP
—#1 Amazon bestseller!—
—Starred reviews from Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, and School Library Journal!—
Available now in hardcover!
*Kirkus Starred Review!*
“Gripping.” “Vivid.”
"An exceedingly well-written, powerful, and suspenseful novel that lights the path toward truthfulness and healing.”
(Full review HERE)
*Publishers Weekly Starred Review!*
“Gut-wrenching.” “Striking.”
“The narrative’s dark climax and Gustafson’s visceral prose don’t shy away from the inherent trauma surrounding sexual assault, making for a vital, heart-wrenching account of one teen’s harrowing experience.”
(Full review HERE)
*School Library Journal Starred Review!*
“Well-written and heartfelt.” “Impressive and brave.”
“A much-needed book and an important purchase.”
(Full review HERE)
In the vein of Amber Smith's The Way I Used to Be and Kelly Loy Gilbert’s Conviction, this heartbreaking yet hopeful young adult novel follows a girl's struggle to reconcile friendship, sexual abuse, and the secrets we bury deep down inside to survive.
High school freshman Emma Clark harbors a secret—a secret so vile it could implode her whole world, a secret she’s managed to keep hidden away. . . Until the day her best friend, Hannah, accuses Emma’s father of a heinous crime.
Following her father’s arrest, and torn between loyalty to Hannah and to her family, Emma is devastated to learn she must testify against Hannah’s word in order to keep her family together. As Emma wrestles with this impossible decision, her fractured past begins to resurface piece by painful piece—causing the line to blur between her present-day reality and the dark fairytales she writes to survive, all of which threaten to expose Emma’s long-buried truths.
The Secrets We Keep explores the complex, powerful bonds of friendship and family, asking the difficult question: at what point does Emma’s loyalty to another become a betrayal of herself? And perhaps the toughest question of all: Can Emma find the strength to finally unbury her secret?
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A graphic novel interstitial from AFTER THE INK DRIES.
"Gustafson’s debut doesn’t pull punches.”
“This all-too-believable book will open eyes and start conversations about sexual assault, toxic masculinity, and victim shaming. "
—Publishers Weekly
"[A] page-turner.”
“The main characters, especially Erica, are dynamic. . . . [T]he pacing and story will in draw teens.”
“VERDICT: The beautiful graphics and the way this novel tackles assault head-on make it a good addition to a library shelf.”
—School Library Journal
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What does it mean when you thought you knew someone? What does it mean when that person is your new boyfriend?
This page-turning suspense story asks what it takes to face hard truths about yourself and others, and how to find strength when you need it most.
Sixteen-year-old Erica Walker is a webcomic artist who wants to fit in at her affluent new high school. Seventeen-year-old Thomas VanBrackel is an aspiring songwriter and reluctant lacrosse goalie who wants out from under his father’s thumb. After their electric first kiss at Saturday’s lacrosse match, Erica and Thomas are both elated to see where their new relationship could take them.
The next morning, however, following a drunken house party, Erica wakes up half-clothed, and discovers words and names drawn in Sharpie in intimate places on her body—names belonging to Thomas’s lacrosse friends, including the boyfriend of Erica’s best friend. Devastated, Erica convinces herself Thomas wasn’t involved in this horrific, so-called “prank” . . . until she discovers Thomas’s name on her skin, too.
Told in alternating viewpoints, Erica seeks to uncover what happened while battling to keep evidence of her humiliation from leaking out, as Thomas grapples with his actions and who he thought he was. Woven throughout, illustrated graphic novel interstitials depict Erica’s alter ego superhero, Erica Strange, whose courage just might help Erica come through to the other side.