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Book Review of The Language of Secrets

The Language of Secrets
alterlisa avatar reviewed on + 335 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 6


Wow, can you imagine the shock of coming home after years abroad to find that your parents are dead, your sisters dont know who you are, and theres a tombstone next to your parents with your name on it declaring that you had died at age 3. It would be enough to send you screaming into the night with the guys in white coats chasing you.
When I first read the book blurb, I thought okay, he probably had a twin brother or something. Well, as you travel down the road in search of the something you will not be able to lay this book down. I found myself picking up this book while in the kitchen cooking (well actually waiting for water to boil). Any free moment, I grabbed it as I had to know what happened next.
At first I was a bit discombobulated as each chapter told the story from Justins point of view, both as a 3 year old and as an adult, and from his parents point of view. (Sadly, Im one of those people who tend not to read the chapter heading; I just want to jump right in. Once, I realized I really needed to do that, it was so much more enjoyable.)
As the horror that was Justins young life begins to unfold, you just want to take that poor innocent child and hug him tight. Oh, and I cant even express what Id do to the sorry as*** that were responsible for his plight cause that would ruin the whole story.
Dixon has such a marvelous voice that made me forget that I was reading a story; I felt the pain and confusion right along with the characters. This is truly an amazing story within a story; it will not let you go. I hope to see many more books by this debut author. This one was a grand slam!
There is a readers guide included, which makes this an awesome book for book club discussions. It will definitely get you into some incredible conversations on family dynamics and the complexity of family secrets.