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A woman’s impression of her family is dismantled by revelations of the past in a haunting story about identity, memories, and the power of secrets by the New York Times bestselling author of Black Cake.
One year after her mother’s death, a woman prepares to celebrate her fortieth birthday. Digging through a trunk in the attic, looking for keepsakes for the occasion, she discovers photographs that call into question everything she believed about her life. The truth is a different story—one of a little girl in danger, a lie, and a mother’s love so fierce it led her to do the unimaginable.
Charmaine Wilkerson’s Deluge is part of Good Intentions, a riveting collection of stories about the instincts, fears, and fierce love inherent in motherhood from award-winning, bestselling authors. Read or listen to each in a single sitting.
One year after her mother’s death, a woman prepares to celebrate her fortieth birthday. Digging through a trunk in the attic, looking for keepsakes for the occasion, she discovers photographs that call into question everything she believed about her life. The truth is a different story—one of a little girl in danger, a lie, and a mother’s love so fierce it led her to do the unimaginable.
Charmaine Wilkerson’s Deluge is part of Good Intentions, a riveting collection of stories about the instincts, fears, and fierce love inherent in motherhood from award-winning, bestselling authors. Read or listen to each in a single sitting.
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First published April 27, 2023
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About the author
Charmaine Wilkerson
6 books3,454 followersCharmaine Wilkerson is an American writer who has lived in the Caribbean and is based in Italy. She is a former journalist and recovered marathon runner whose award-winning short stories can be found in various UK and US anthologies and magazines. Black Cake (2022) was her first novel.
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February 6, 2024
‘There aren’t many secrets in this world, just people who choose to look the other way.’
How does one pick up the pieces of selfhood when a lifetime of identity is suddenly washed away in a flash flood of truth? Charmaine Wilkerson’s Deluge is a succinct storm of revelations and shattered emotions when a woman discovers that the family narrative she has always been told concealed a shocking lie about her parentage. Gorgeously written in a way that reflects the assemblage of truth revealed from the lies like a puzzle’s image slowly becoming clear with each new piece, Deluge is about ‘what it felt like to discover yourself to be missing from the world,’ and the strength it takes to accept a new reality midlife and rise from the ashes of the old.
‘Because a person can fail another person and still do right by them. It happens all the time. This is the way of relationships. This is the way of family.’
Wilkerson excels at the experience of a life rocked by the discovery of a twist in family history. Her novel, Black Cake, navigated this with grace and here Wilkerson has managed to pack such an emotional punch by focusing on the immediacy of emotions during such a discovery, sharpening it down to a brief tale that cut but also heals. It is about the wound but, like a salamander that ‘can grow back its own limbs and organs, after a trauma,’ it is a powerful statement on the ability to ‘ become whole again.’ First the narrator must learn to sort out the truth from the lies and recognize that even under false pretenses, there was always love in a home that was never her own. ‘Sometimes people do the wrong things for the right reasons,’ she accepts, though the hurt is still real.
‘So often in life, there is no either-or. That as much as the mind might fight the idea, the heart makes room for opposing truths.’
I really enjoyed this story and was blown away by the impact resonating from these brief pages. Deluge makes stylistic choices that really enhance the experience, feeling the truth sliding into place with each new memory uncovered feeling like a slap of betrayal to the narrator. In an era where genealogy research mixes with more accessible DNA testing we frequently hear family narratives completely unravel and secrets surfacing and Wilkerson captures this sort of experience in a very thoughtful and gorgeous way.
4/5
‘There was life before the flood and life after.’
How does one pick up the pieces of selfhood when a lifetime of identity is suddenly washed away in a flash flood of truth? Charmaine Wilkerson’s Deluge is a succinct storm of revelations and shattered emotions when a woman discovers that the family narrative she has always been told concealed a shocking lie about her parentage. Gorgeously written in a way that reflects the assemblage of truth revealed from the lies like a puzzle’s image slowly becoming clear with each new piece, Deluge is about ‘what it felt like to discover yourself to be missing from the world,’ and the strength it takes to accept a new reality midlife and rise from the ashes of the old.
‘Because a person can fail another person and still do right by them. It happens all the time. This is the way of relationships. This is the way of family.’
Wilkerson excels at the experience of a life rocked by the discovery of a twist in family history. Her novel, Black Cake, navigated this with grace and here Wilkerson has managed to pack such an emotional punch by focusing on the immediacy of emotions during such a discovery, sharpening it down to a brief tale that cut but also heals. It is about the wound but, like a salamander that ‘can grow back its own limbs and organs, after a trauma,’ it is a powerful statement on the ability to ‘ become whole again.’ First the narrator must learn to sort out the truth from the lies and recognize that even under false pretenses, there was always love in a home that was never her own. ‘Sometimes people do the wrong things for the right reasons,’ she accepts, though the hurt is still real.
‘So often in life, there is no either-or. That as much as the mind might fight the idea, the heart makes room for opposing truths.’
I really enjoyed this story and was blown away by the impact resonating from these brief pages. Deluge makes stylistic choices that really enhance the experience, feeling the truth sliding into place with each new memory uncovered feeling like a slap of betrayal to the narrator. In an era where genealogy research mixes with more accessible DNA testing we frequently hear family narratives completely unravel and secrets surfacing and Wilkerson captures this sort of experience in a very thoughtful and gorgeous way.
4/5
‘There was life before the flood and life after.’
June 24, 2023
Amazon Originals Good Intentions Collection of short stories is a series of seven stories about motherhood. Charmaine Wilkerson, author of Black Cake, has written one of the stories in collection. I enjoyed that novel, so it was hard to resist this. Told in the second person, a woman’s memories of a flood and a different life when she was a toddler come back. A confession from her stepfather upends everything in her life, who she is, who her family is. This is a thought provoking, albeit moving story of love, of family, of forgiveness. Might have been five stars, but the second person narrative made for distance from the character.
The kindle versions of the seven stories are free to prime members .
The kindle versions of the seven stories are free to prime members .
February 1, 2025
“You will need time, still, to accept that you cannot undo the past. You will need time to admit that, try as you might, you cannot un-love your ma. That so often in life, there is no either-or. That as much as the mind might fight the idea, the heart makes room for opposing truths.”
Beautiful. Poignant. Got me to tear up at the end a bit.
Beautiful. Poignant. Got me to tear up at the end a bit.
July 19, 2024
In a Nutshell: A short story about a woman who suddenly discovers that her identity isn’t what she has been told. Thought-provoking. Does not follow the typical path of such stories. Leaves some questions unanswered. A good mood-read.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Plot Preview:
This is the third standalone story in the 'Good Intentions’ series, described on Amazon as “a riveting collection of stories about the instincts, fears, and fierce love inherent in motherhood.”
I don't want to get into spoilers, so I’ll just say: the big reveal that changes Dina's perception of her identity is a fairly common one in women's fiction. However, the manner in which the author has tackled it in this story is uncommon, and that makes all the difference. Add in the fact that Dina is almost forty – an age when we already know who we are and where we belong, and what we have is an otherwise-mature person struggling to be mature while facing the unexpected.
The narrative being Dina's, and the storyline being about a life-changing reveal, the plot is mostly introspective, focussing on the past and trying to filter through the memories to get to the truth. The only key character other than Dina is 'Steppie', her stepfather, whose role also does not fit into how stepfathers are typically depicted in fiction.
With the other key characters being just alluded to, the journey traversed by this tale is one of whys and what-ifs. Dina attempts to fill in the gaps of her past, but with only Steppie around to fit in a few of the many missing pieces of the jigsaw, there are some unanswered questions even at the end. Then again, that’s how life functions - we don’t always find all the answers we are looking for.
The titular 'deluge' refers not only to the deluge of memories that flood Dina's mind but also to a physical deluge in the form of a river flood. In that sense, this story can be called the aftermath of a disaster, with the disaster being both natural and human-made.
The second-person point of view adds to our involvement by making us one with the narrative, even though we might not have gone through a similar situation in our lives. I'm anyway slightly biased towards this voice, and it's a bonus when an author handles it well.
Why not a higher rating then? Because of these issues:
👉🏻 Why does every mother-child story need to have a mother with a secret?
👉🏻 Why no quotation marks for dialogues?
👉🏻 Why that one incident connected to Steppie towards the end?
This is my first time reading this author, and based on her intricate plotting and lyrical writing, I'd love to try her full-length works.
As of now, this is the only story where the theme has been tackled well, and the only one so far in this set that I'd like to recommend to short fiction readers. It’s not a must-read, but it’s a good option when you want something to ponder over.
3.5 stars.
This standalone story is a part of the ‘Good Intentions’ collection, and is currently available free to Amazon Prime subscribers.
After three duds, I finally hit upon a decent story in this collection. Here’s hoping that the trajectory of ratings will continue upwards!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Connect with me through:
My Blog || The StoryGraph || Instagram || X/Twitter || Facebook ||
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Plot Preview:
About a year after her mother’s death, as Dina is making plans for her fortieth birthday, her stepfather reveals to her something that changes her entire perception of her childhood. As she struggles to make sense of what she knows through her memories and what she can recollect through some old photographs, Dina is forced to confront some hard truths about her past, and about what makes a mother a mother.
The story comes to us in Dina’s second-person perspective.
This is the third standalone story in the 'Good Intentions’ series, described on Amazon as “a riveting collection of stories about the instincts, fears, and fierce love inherent in motherhood.”
I don't want to get into spoilers, so I’ll just say: the big reveal that changes Dina's perception of her identity is a fairly common one in women's fiction. However, the manner in which the author has tackled it in this story is uncommon, and that makes all the difference. Add in the fact that Dina is almost forty – an age when we already know who we are and where we belong, and what we have is an otherwise-mature person struggling to be mature while facing the unexpected.
The narrative being Dina's, and the storyline being about a life-changing reveal, the plot is mostly introspective, focussing on the past and trying to filter through the memories to get to the truth. The only key character other than Dina is 'Steppie', her stepfather, whose role also does not fit into how stepfathers are typically depicted in fiction.
With the other key characters being just alluded to, the journey traversed by this tale is one of whys and what-ifs. Dina attempts to fill in the gaps of her past, but with only Steppie around to fit in a few of the many missing pieces of the jigsaw, there are some unanswered questions even at the end. Then again, that’s how life functions - we don’t always find all the answers we are looking for.
The titular 'deluge' refers not only to the deluge of memories that flood Dina's mind but also to a physical deluge in the form of a river flood. In that sense, this story can be called the aftermath of a disaster, with the disaster being both natural and human-made.
The second-person point of view adds to our involvement by making us one with the narrative, even though we might not have gone through a similar situation in our lives. I'm anyway slightly biased towards this voice, and it's a bonus when an author handles it well.
Why not a higher rating then? Because of these issues:
👉🏻 Why does every mother-child story need to have a mother with a secret?
👉🏻 Why no quotation marks for dialogues?
👉🏻 Why that one incident connected to Steppie towards the end?
This is my first time reading this author, and based on her intricate plotting and lyrical writing, I'd love to try her full-length works.
As of now, this is the only story where the theme has been tackled well, and the only one so far in this set that I'd like to recommend to short fiction readers. It’s not a must-read, but it’s a good option when you want something to ponder over.
3.5 stars.
This standalone story is a part of the ‘Good Intentions’ collection, and is currently available free to Amazon Prime subscribers.
After three duds, I finally hit upon a decent story in this collection. Here’s hoping that the trajectory of ratings will continue upwards!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Connect with me through:
My Blog || The StoryGraph || Instagram || X/Twitter || Facebook ||
February 24, 2024
What happens when a family secret is revealed and you discover your entire life is a lie? How do you still feel joy for people who loved you? Should you even still love them, or is what they did too great to forgive? How do you even know who you are when your past has been covered up so thoroughly for so long? How do you go on living? And who do you blame and question when the people who were behind this secret are dead? Wilkerson explores these questions in her novella from the Good Intentions Collection as the narrator discovers a jarring secret while she is rummaging through her late mother’s boxes. Deluge focuses on this morally grey area of motherhood in a really interesting way and raises some valid critiques while still portraying that nothing is ever black and white.
“The truth was rarely told in its entirety. The full story of your origins did not spring up clean and cool out of the ground, but gurgled and spat and had to be picked clear of the mud like a stranded crayfish, it’s legs flailing in slow, spindly motion.”
Shoutout to S and their brilliant review for encouraging me to pick up this one as my next read in this collection. With the utilization of second person point-of-view and her incredible prose, Wilkerson makes the reader feel the grief and confusion that the narrator feels in such a vivid way. We are pulled through this confusion and unraveling of the narrator’s life as though we are her, making the emotional effect extra strong. While there is anger, there is mainly sadness and confusion and this sense of lostness as the narrator’s life is upended. Who is she really? Should she love her mother?
“This was how a story could seep into the bones of your identity and into the foundation of your home.”
This topic reminds me a bit of the main subplot in Little Fires Everywhere as it raises hard questions with incredible grey areas about who has the right to do something that they think is helping when it requires hurting an existing family. This book really feels like a gut punch as you feel unmeasurable amounts of betrayal and hurt and have nowhere to put them. Someone else made a decision that impacted you and your family without your consent and now you have to live with the consequences. Now you have to ask questions you’ll never have an answer to and all you can really do is learn to be okay with that.
“Because a person can fail another person and still do right by them.”
Both short stories I’ve read in this collection (this and Mother Country) have been incredibly impactful in different ways and I am eagerly looking forward to continuing with the collection. This was the first Charmaine Wilkerson I’ve read and I really loved her writing style as well and am excited to get to her full length novel soon.
4.5/5
“The truth was rarely told in its entirety. The full story of your origins did not spring up clean and cool out of the ground, but gurgled and spat and had to be picked clear of the mud like a stranded crayfish, it’s legs flailing in slow, spindly motion.”
Shoutout to S and their brilliant review for encouraging me to pick up this one as my next read in this collection. With the utilization of second person point-of-view and her incredible prose, Wilkerson makes the reader feel the grief and confusion that the narrator feels in such a vivid way. We are pulled through this confusion and unraveling of the narrator’s life as though we are her, making the emotional effect extra strong. While there is anger, there is mainly sadness and confusion and this sense of lostness as the narrator’s life is upended. Who is she really? Should she love her mother?
“This was how a story could seep into the bones of your identity and into the foundation of your home.”
This topic reminds me a bit of the main subplot in Little Fires Everywhere as it raises hard questions with incredible grey areas about who has the right to do something that they think is helping when it requires hurting an existing family. This book really feels like a gut punch as you feel unmeasurable amounts of betrayal and hurt and have nowhere to put them. Someone else made a decision that impacted you and your family without your consent and now you have to live with the consequences. Now you have to ask questions you’ll never have an answer to and all you can really do is learn to be okay with that.
“Because a person can fail another person and still do right by them.”
Both short stories I’ve read in this collection (this and Mother Country) have been incredibly impactful in different ways and I am eagerly looking forward to continuing with the collection. This was the first Charmaine Wilkerson I’ve read and I really loved her writing style as well and am excited to get to her full length novel soon.
4.5/5
May 3, 2023
A woman has questions about the life she led as a child. Was her past true? She is conflicted between the family she loves and the one she never really knew?
January 6, 2024
This was beautiful
I am floored at the impact this rather short story had on me.
I will be thinking about this story for a long, long time.
And this quote, "That so often in life, there is no either-or. That as much as the mind might fight the idea, the heart makes room for opposing truths."
I'm definitely reading more by this author.
I am floored at the impact this rather short story had on me.
I will be thinking about this story for a long, long time.
And this quote, "That so often in life, there is no either-or. That as much as the mind might fight the idea, the heart makes room for opposing truths."
I'm definitely reading more by this author.
December 10, 2023
Sometimes people do the wrong thing for the right reasons. Another thoughtful short story in this very good collection
Kindle Unlimited- Good Intentions collection
Kindle Unlimited- Good Intentions collection
February 25, 2025
4 stars
I decided to read this Amazon novella by Wilkerson to see if I liked it. Not really liking Good Dirt very much and not yet reading Black Cake, I was curious if it was just the book Good Dirt, if it was Wilkerson's writing, or if it was me not liking the writing style.
Although a short novella, I felt it was enough to get a good taste of Wilkerson's writing. This short story I liked and enjoyed, which steers me away from not liking Wilkerson's writing style. Leaving me with just not quite liking the book Good Dirt. Problem solved.
Now as far as this novella - a story about a middle aged woman who unhappily learns the truth of her childhood from her step father and how she reacts knowing that truth.
I decided to read this Amazon novella by Wilkerson to see if I liked it. Not really liking Good Dirt very much and not yet reading Black Cake, I was curious if it was just the book Good Dirt, if it was Wilkerson's writing, or if it was me not liking the writing style.
Although a short novella, I felt it was enough to get a good taste of Wilkerson's writing. This short story I liked and enjoyed, which steers me away from not liking Wilkerson's writing style. Leaving me with just not quite liking the book Good Dirt. Problem solved.
Now as far as this novella - a story about a middle aged woman who unhappily learns the truth of her childhood from her step father and how she reacts knowing that truth.
May 7, 2023
Meh. Family secrets unsurfaced. I couldn't understand Dinara's rage and attitude towards her stepfather... and she was ok with sending him to prison. Sure, the context/perspective of her life has shifted but her experience of growing up in a loving family doesn't. It made no sense to me.
Part of the Kindle Unlimited catalog.
Part of the Kindle Unlimited catalog.
July 25, 2023
Only 34 pages long, this short story packs an emotional punch and says more in its few pages than many novels. "Deluge" by author Charmaine Wilkerson (author of Black Cake) is an Amazon Original story.
It centers around 40 year old Dina, whose clean-up of her parents' attic starts her on a quest to find out more about her early childhood. The story is beautifully written. I found it to be a gem.
Now, I must wait patiently for whatever else this enormously talented author chooses to write.
It centers around 40 year old Dina, whose clean-up of her parents' attic starts her on a quest to find out more about her early childhood. The story is beautifully written. I found it to be a gem.
Now, I must wait patiently for whatever else this enormously talented author chooses to write.
February 1, 2025
4.5⭐️ On the eve of her fortieth birthday, a woman discovers old photographs from her childhood that call her life into question.
This is en evocative tale about the power of a mother’s love and the creation of family. Charmaine Wilkerson writes some of the most beautiful prose and while much shorter than her novels, Deluge is no different when it comes to the quality of her writing. At only 37 pages, this story packs a very powerful punch.
Read if you like:
▪️short stories
▪️family dramas
▪️emotional reads
▪️theme of identity
▪️dual timelines
📌 Available on KU and Audible.
This is en evocative tale about the power of a mother’s love and the creation of family. Charmaine Wilkerson writes some of the most beautiful prose and while much shorter than her novels, Deluge is no different when it comes to the quality of her writing. At only 37 pages, this story packs a very powerful punch.
Read if you like:
▪️short stories
▪️family dramas
▪️emotional reads
▪️theme of identity
▪️dual timelines
📌 Available on KU and Audible.
October 23, 2023
This one was absolutely stunning, the style was beautiful and the story emotionally powerful.
May 4, 2023
This short story is DEEP. Deluge tells the story of a woman who finds out she was taken as a child, and that the woman she knew as Ma, really wasn’t her mother. The stepdad she loved all her life was also complicit in this lie. Since she doesn’t find out the truth about her past out until after her mother’s death, she struggles with so many emotions. She has so many beautiful memories of her mother, but she also feels guilty for loving and trusting a woman who could have done something so awful.
The most striking thing about this story is the point of view it’s time from. It’s to as if YOU, the reader, are the person this has happened to. So I too struggled with my emotions and feelings toward the mom and stepdad in the story, because it was as if it was MY story. It was my life, and I was able to fully take on the role as a daughter who loved and cherished her mom, while simultaneously being hurt and disgusted at her actions.
Deluge is definitely a 5 star read. Charmaine Wilkerson is a master storyteller, and after reading Black Cake, I knew I’d be a forever fan. I’d recommend this to everyone!
The most striking thing about this story is the point of view it’s time from. It’s to as if YOU, the reader, are the person this has happened to. So I too struggled with my emotions and feelings toward the mom and stepdad in the story, because it was as if it was MY story. It was my life, and I was able to fully take on the role as a daughter who loved and cherished her mom, while simultaneously being hurt and disgusted at her actions.
Deluge is definitely a 5 star read. Charmaine Wilkerson is a master storyteller, and after reading Black Cake, I knew I’d be a forever fan. I’d recommend this to everyone!
November 3, 2023
4.25⭑
This was such an interesting read. I really liked the plot and for a short story was well developed.
It was my first time reading in second pov and I can’t tell yet if I liked it or not?
This was such an interesting read. I really liked the plot and for a short story was well developed.
It was my first time reading in second pov and I can’t tell yet if I liked it or not?
March 10, 2024
You know what I find curious about the "you" narrative, that contentious second person voice- it's that it can be both accusatory and
deeply intimate
because it's like a finger pointed right at your person telling all of your secrets even though it's fiction and you're not the character. Maybe that's why people tend to hate it.
Well, not moi. This being the 5th one I've chosen to read, I find I am drawn more into the story when the finger is pointed at me because I want to say "hell nah uh - I haven't done shyte" but then the story gets to that engrossing bit and I forget my defenses.
Plot/Storyline/Themes:
So at the heart of it, would you do what Ma did? If you bore witness to injustice to the most vulnerable and there came a flood as the perfect devastating fatal cover - would you do it?
Me? In a heartbeat.
Two Sentences, A Scene or less - Characters:
Delayed misplaced rage that's been tainted by shadowy, half-memories typical in childhood is dangerous. She - you ruined your whole life Dinara.
Favorite/Curious/Ludicrous/Unique Scene:
Honestly FFS you're 40!Just go to your damn birthday party. God I actually hate Dinara. That is TOO much righteous anger. And the vengeance is one sided, I'm all for revenge but thats all kinds of messed up.
Favorite/Curious/Ludicrous/Unique Quotes:
🖤 “A person can fail another person and still do right by them. It happens all the time. This is the way of relationships. This is the way of family.” (On love, loyalty and loss and moving on)
Favorite/Curious/Ludicrous/Unique Concepts:
■ childhood memory
■There was life before the flood and life after.
StoryGraph Challenge: 1800 Books by 2025
Challenge Prompt: 150 Short Stories by 2025
Well, not moi. This being the 5th one I've chosen to read, I find I am drawn more into the story when the finger is pointed at me because I want to say "hell nah uh - I haven't done shyte" but then the story gets to that engrossing bit and I forget my defenses.
Plot/Storyline/Themes:
So at the heart of it, would you do what Ma did? If you bore witness to injustice to the most vulnerable and there came a flood as the perfect devastating fatal cover - would you do it?
Me? In a heartbeat.
Two Sentences, A Scene or less - Characters:
Delayed misplaced rage that's been tainted by shadowy, half-memories typical in childhood is dangerous. She - you ruined your whole life Dinara.
Favorite/Curious/Ludicrous/Unique Scene:
Honestly FFS you're 40!Just go to your damn birthday party. God I actually hate Dinara. That is TOO much righteous anger. And the vengeance is one sided, I'm all for revenge but thats all kinds of messed up.
Favorite/Curious/Ludicrous/Unique Quotes:
🖤 “A person can fail another person and still do right by them. It happens all the time. This is the way of relationships. This is the way of family.” (On love, loyalty and loss and moving on)
Favorite/Curious/Ludicrous/Unique Concepts:
■ childhood memory
■There was life before the flood and life after.
StoryGraph Challenge: 1800 Books by 2025
Challenge Prompt: 150 Short Stories by 2025
July 6, 2023
Interesting short story about a woman finding out what she believed about her life was not accurate. Well written.
June 19, 2025
I’m a little conflicted about this short story well written but I’m not sure how I feel about the FMC and what she did in the book.. Check it out let me know what you think
June 1, 2023
The protagonist was so unlikeable that it was hard to enjoy the story. A grown woman helps her beloved step-dad start cleaning out the family home months after her mother died. The woman discovers information in an old trunk that doesn't coincide with snippets of memories she has from when she was three. She proceeds to dig and rip into her past in a blind rage and destroys the memory of her happy childhood, her step-father, her childrens' relationship with her step-father, and herself in the process. Congrats lady.
April 8, 2025
Another short fiction in the Good Intentions series that investigates parent/offspring relationships, usually upsetting the status quo. I liked this less than Black Cake but much more than Good Dirt.
May 15, 2023
probably the most interesting fiction book you can find on amazon prime which isn’t saying much but i did find this cool to read to be honest
March 9, 2025
immediately after reading this, I texted my supervisor and asked if he has a kindle because he needs to read these stories about motherhood and identity and the complexities of mother/child relationships
June 7, 2023
This short story did not land for me because of the plot line and how the main character interpreted the secret her mother was keeping. She completely disregarded her family that had taken care of her because they took her when she was little. This made the story have only one layer. I also did not like how the relationship between her and her mother was not more explored. Suddenly she remembers everything about her birth mother, which left holes in the story for me.
January 14, 2026
In her forties, Dinara thinks she knows who she is; but it’s almost a year after her ma died that, helping her stepfather clear through the belongings left by her mother that the daughter finds evidence which suggests she’s not who she thought she was. Then comes the explanation, the unveiling of the truth—with an extra twist which wasn’t expected—and the seeking out and coming to terms with the truth of Dinara’s real past.
A short but sharp story which examines the issue of having the foundations of one’s self shaken and rearranged. Thought-provoking and satisfying.
A short but sharp story which examines the issue of having the foundations of one’s self shaken and rearranged. Thought-provoking and satisfying.
December 1, 2023
3.5 stars
A well-written, thought-provoking short story about a woman who discovers that her life and childhood as she knew it was a lie. Loved the story but wasn't so keen on the second person narrative.
This short story is part of the Good Intentions series from Amazon Originals and is free with Kindle Unlimited.
A well-written, thought-provoking short story about a woman who discovers that her life and childhood as she knew it was a lie. Loved the story but wasn't so keen on the second person narrative.
This short story is part of the Good Intentions series from Amazon Originals and is free with Kindle Unlimited.
April 28, 2023
Wow
At first, I was not sure if I would like this story. The jumping from different moments was unsettling. The story however took hold and I just embraced it.
Great read
Another new author to read more from.
At first, I was not sure if I would like this story. The jumping from different moments was unsettling. The story however took hold and I just embraced it.
Great read
Another new author to read more from.
February 21, 2025
Now that's how you pack a whole book into a short story. Oof.
May 25, 2023
This was a rough one for me to read because the feelings it brought up didn't resonate with me. At its heart it seemed to be about knowing who you really are in relation to the world and the people you come from and not so much about those who loved you and brought you up to be the person you became. There was so much anger and, while I understood that it was coming from a place of betrayal, I never really got how a grown woman didn't try to understand that the stories that were told may have been out of love and protection.
June 8, 2023
3.5 stars
Beautiful writing, heartfelt themes around motherhood, family, and trauma. I think there's a lot more that could be said but the short story format didn't allow for it. It does spark some interesting discussions, but by the end, I wished it was longer and wanted to dive deeper into these characters.
Beautiful writing, heartfelt themes around motherhood, family, and trauma. I think there's a lot more that could be said but the short story format didn't allow for it. It does spark some interesting discussions, but by the end, I wished it was longer and wanted to dive deeper into these characters.
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