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The Impossible Why
Sixteen-year-old June Taylor, raised Jehovah’s Witness, homeschools in the Arkansas countryside. Her mother’s moods and rages keep the whole family doing The Eggshell Walk. June finds solace and sanctuary in her clapping tree, her work as a McDonald’s cashier, and with Grits, the neighbor’s sweet yellow lab. June’s world explodes when she accepts a forbidden date and her mother leaves. June is willing to sacrifice it all to win her mother back. But when June meets Keegan, a young man from a different faith, she will be forced to question everything she holds dear—including loyalty to her mother.
376 pages, Paperback
Published May 9, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
August 21, 2026
The Impossible Why is a riveting, well-paced novel of family love and abuse, of mental illness and religion—the type of religion that has turned in on itself, afraid of the larger world. At the center of the novel is June, a naïve, big-hearted girl who loves nothing more than climbing up her special “clapping” tree to read a good book. As the reader gets to know her parents, it becomes clear that the tree is more than just a beautiful place to hang out—it’s June’s refuge.
June grows up as a Jehovah’s Witness, in a faith that opposes everything from celebrating birthdays to voting to getting a blood transfusion. It is a faith that interprets 1Corinthians 3:17—“. . . love endures all things”—to mean that June must take whatever her mother dishes out.
And her mother dishes out plenty. Herself abused as a child, she’s an explosion waiting to happen. One minute, she’s gently teaching her daughters to notice and appreciate the beauty of the natural world, the next she’s backing them into a corner with insults, slaps, and a gaze hard with hate. June weeps, placates, and apologizes, wanting only for her mother to return to her former loving self and stay there—something her mother cannot do.
As June gets older, she longs to experience the world not only in books, but also in life. Her longing leads her to the university and to Keegan, a fellow student and devout Christian, but, unfortunately, not a Jehovah’s Witness. As academia, Keegan, and Keegan’s delightful nine-year-old brother capture her heart, June is put on a collision course with her family and faith. I always wanted to know what June would do next because I was rooting for her. Her character is so vividly drawn—as are all of Hammond’s characters—that she springs off the page. When she goes to her first job, the story isn’t just about working at McDonald’s—it’s about serving a busload of hangry tourists with cheerful equanimity, about handling the cowboy at the counter who is asking her out on her first date, about the crusty older women who take her under their collective wing, as if sensing her need for a mother.
Hammond describes June’s mother’s volatility with devastating economy: “Her mood was precarious again, filling the house with razor sharp edges . . . When she left the house, the walls seemed to exhale.” But knowing that people are checkered and complicated, Hammond also includes her mother’s soft edges—the way she tends her herb garden, cooks for her family, and buys June a stylish outfit for her first class at the university—a class which, according to Witness creed, her mother should have adamantly opposed. It is this complexity that makes June’s relationship with her mother truly sad: there was love, but there was also untreated mental illness borne of trauma, which was beyond June’s control.
The Impossible Why offers readers a window into a world many know little about in spite of all the podcasts about cults and leaving cults, and it does so through the eyes of a very likeable heroine. It also slyly raises questions about why we believe what we believe, and how the collective—simply by virtue of being a collective, whether conservative or progressive—pressures us to tow the party line. A great read, both enlightening and entertaining!
June grows up as a Jehovah’s Witness, in a faith that opposes everything from celebrating birthdays to voting to getting a blood transfusion. It is a faith that interprets 1Corinthians 3:17—“. . . love endures all things”—to mean that June must take whatever her mother dishes out.
And her mother dishes out plenty. Herself abused as a child, she’s an explosion waiting to happen. One minute, she’s gently teaching her daughters to notice and appreciate the beauty of the natural world, the next she’s backing them into a corner with insults, slaps, and a gaze hard with hate. June weeps, placates, and apologizes, wanting only for her mother to return to her former loving self and stay there—something her mother cannot do.
As June gets older, she longs to experience the world not only in books, but also in life. Her longing leads her to the university and to Keegan, a fellow student and devout Christian, but, unfortunately, not a Jehovah’s Witness. As academia, Keegan, and Keegan’s delightful nine-year-old brother capture her heart, June is put on a collision course with her family and faith. I always wanted to know what June would do next because I was rooting for her. Her character is so vividly drawn—as are all of Hammond’s characters—that she springs off the page. When she goes to her first job, the story isn’t just about working at McDonald’s—it’s about serving a busload of hangry tourists with cheerful equanimity, about handling the cowboy at the counter who is asking her out on her first date, about the crusty older women who take her under their collective wing, as if sensing her need for a mother.
Hammond describes June’s mother’s volatility with devastating economy: “Her mood was precarious again, filling the house with razor sharp edges . . . When she left the house, the walls seemed to exhale.” But knowing that people are checkered and complicated, Hammond also includes her mother’s soft edges—the way she tends her herb garden, cooks for her family, and buys June a stylish outfit for her first class at the university—a class which, according to Witness creed, her mother should have adamantly opposed. It is this complexity that makes June’s relationship with her mother truly sad: there was love, but there was also untreated mental illness borne of trauma, which was beyond June’s control.
The Impossible Why offers readers a window into a world many know little about in spite of all the podcasts about cults and leaving cults, and it does so through the eyes of a very likeable heroine. It also slyly raises questions about why we believe what we believe, and how the collective—simply by virtue of being a collective, whether conservative or progressive—pressures us to tow the party line. A great read, both enlightening and entertaining!
Review of advance copy received from Author
I was lucky enough to receive an ARC of The Impossible Why by Summer Hammond before its release date, and I’m so glad I did because this book now owns a little piece of real estate in my heart.
At the core of this story is June, a character I came to love. I rooted for her throughout every page. She is forced to deal with the heavy weight of religious control and emotional abuse by a mother whose cruelty and tenderness leave not only June scared, hurt, and confused, but the reader too. Hammond writes the mother character so beautifully because even though she abuses her family, you want to like her, you want to witness her change, you want the family to win. The family dynamics are fascinating to witness.
This is a story of June longing for love, for freedom, and for the right to choose her own life. What struck me most was despite the trauma she endures, she never loses her heart. Her sensitivity remains intact throughout, and that stayed with me long after I finished the book. June feels the world she lives in, and she is fully present in witnessing it. It made me want to live with more awareness. I wanted to be more like June.
What makes this work extraordinary is not only its exploration of abuse and indoctrination, but the way June makes meaning through books, ideas, and the characters she turns to for strength. Her mind is alive on the page. She is a deep thinker and a deep feeler, and that interior life makes her journey feel intimate and unforgettable. Even coming from a completely different background, I found myself relating to her. Not what was happening to her, but the way she processed pain. Hammond has a keen understanding of her emotions.
The relationship between June and her sister is so tender and so painful, and I found myself rooting for both of them. Their bond, even under the pressure of a mother who weaponizes love and pits them against one another, felt heartbreakingly real. The exploration of this wound marked my heart more than any other part of the book. The looks the girls give each other, the gestures, their conversations, they were visceral and jumped off the page.
And then there are the conversations between June and Keegan. Whoa! These discussions about trauma, faith, indoctrination, and belief are some of the most compelling I’ve read. They are fiery and thoughtful. At times, I realized I was literally holding my breath while reading them. They made me uncomfortable and made me reflect on my own beliefs and whether I am truly open to examining where I might be wrong. Beyond serving the story, those conversations feel like a model for what honest, rigorous, deeply human questioning can look like.
This book tucked itself into my heart. It is rich, devastating, and deeply life-affirming. I can’t recommend this story enough if you love a good, human tale.
At the core of this story is June, a character I came to love. I rooted for her throughout every page. She is forced to deal with the heavy weight of religious control and emotional abuse by a mother whose cruelty and tenderness leave not only June scared, hurt, and confused, but the reader too. Hammond writes the mother character so beautifully because even though she abuses her family, you want to like her, you want to witness her change, you want the family to win. The family dynamics are fascinating to witness.
This is a story of June longing for love, for freedom, and for the right to choose her own life. What struck me most was despite the trauma she endures, she never loses her heart. Her sensitivity remains intact throughout, and that stayed with me long after I finished the book. June feels the world she lives in, and she is fully present in witnessing it. It made me want to live with more awareness. I wanted to be more like June.
What makes this work extraordinary is not only its exploration of abuse and indoctrination, but the way June makes meaning through books, ideas, and the characters she turns to for strength. Her mind is alive on the page. She is a deep thinker and a deep feeler, and that interior life makes her journey feel intimate and unforgettable. Even coming from a completely different background, I found myself relating to her. Not what was happening to her, but the way she processed pain. Hammond has a keen understanding of her emotions.
The relationship between June and her sister is so tender and so painful, and I found myself rooting for both of them. Their bond, even under the pressure of a mother who weaponizes love and pits them against one another, felt heartbreakingly real. The exploration of this wound marked my heart more than any other part of the book. The looks the girls give each other, the gestures, their conversations, they were visceral and jumped off the page.
And then there are the conversations between June and Keegan. Whoa! These discussions about trauma, faith, indoctrination, and belief are some of the most compelling I’ve read. They are fiery and thoughtful. At times, I realized I was literally holding my breath while reading them. They made me uncomfortable and made me reflect on my own beliefs and whether I am truly open to examining where I might be wrong. Beyond serving the story, those conversations feel like a model for what honest, rigorous, deeply human questioning can look like.
This book tucked itself into my heart. It is rich, devastating, and deeply life-affirming. I can’t recommend this story enough if you love a good, human tale.
May 23, 2026
June Taylor is a 16-year-old Jehovah’s Witness whose long-anticipated baptism is only a month away. Although a deep bond exists between June and her fiercely independent 19-year-old sister, Rain, an ominous force is at work, driving a wedge of distrust between them. Sadly, that force is their very own mother, Abequa, who showers June with gifts and praise while maintaining a palpable animosity toward the unfortunate Rain. In a moment of blind fury, Rain screams at June and calls her “Mommy’s little brat.” Then, in utter anguish, Rain cries, “Nothing. No matter what I do. Nothing makes her love me.”
When Abequa accuses Phil, her husband, of cheating with a flirty new member of their congregation, June’s father admits to the family that he did not cheat but that he made a mistake and acted out of lust. To make matters worse for June, her father announces that the family will no longer be attending any meetings at their Kingdom Hall. This dashes all her dreams of being baptized any time soon, and she is crushed.
Somehow, life goes on at the Taylor residence, until June meets a handsome young student on her first day of class at the University of Arkansas. But June soon learns that this young man, Keegan, is a Pentecostal Christian who proudly wears the tattoo of a Celtic cross on his forearm. While she is fiercely drawn to him, she knows that a relationship between a Pentecostalist and a Jehovah’s Witness is absolutely out of the question.
While June and Rain try desperately not to awaken the volcano that is their mother, Abequa moves in a sinister fashion to destroy the loving relationship that June has managed to build with Keegan. And Rain finally decides to escape the abuse that her mother constantly hurls her way. In his typical cowardly fashion, Phil takes Abequa’s side and casts both Rain and June out of his life.
The Impossible Why is a compelling story of the secret world of maternal abuse. It is also the story of two polar opposites who fall in love, and asks whether that love can survive the immense divide between their belief systems. It is an unflinching and brave story of friendship and love that hypnotized me until the very end.
When Abequa accuses Phil, her husband, of cheating with a flirty new member of their congregation, June’s father admits to the family that he did not cheat but that he made a mistake and acted out of lust. To make matters worse for June, her father announces that the family will no longer be attending any meetings at their Kingdom Hall. This dashes all her dreams of being baptized any time soon, and she is crushed.
Somehow, life goes on at the Taylor residence, until June meets a handsome young student on her first day of class at the University of Arkansas. But June soon learns that this young man, Keegan, is a Pentecostal Christian who proudly wears the tattoo of a Celtic cross on his forearm. While she is fiercely drawn to him, she knows that a relationship between a Pentecostalist and a Jehovah’s Witness is absolutely out of the question.
While June and Rain try desperately not to awaken the volcano that is their mother, Abequa moves in a sinister fashion to destroy the loving relationship that June has managed to build with Keegan. And Rain finally decides to escape the abuse that her mother constantly hurls her way. In his typical cowardly fashion, Phil takes Abequa’s side and casts both Rain and June out of his life.
The Impossible Why is a compelling story of the secret world of maternal abuse. It is also the story of two polar opposites who fall in love, and asks whether that love can survive the immense divide between their belief systems. It is an unflinching and brave story of friendship and love that hypnotized me until the very end.
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