The Secret Keepers: A Novel

by Jeanette Perosa

Mandy and Jolee may live with their father Dale—but they can only rely on each other and Mrs. Mattern, the widow who lives next door. Dale is an erratic, sometimes violent drunk. The girls’ mother is dead, and a distant grandmother is their only other relation. Hidden in Mrs. Mattern’s possession is a gold box belonging to the girls’ mother, a box containing a secret that only Mrs. Mattern and the Reverend Johnson know but one which deeply concerns the two sisters. When an act of violence drives Mandy and Jolee out of their home, they suddenly find themselves in possession of the box and the address of their grandmother. With no one else to turn to, the girls decide to seek her out, only to realize that traveling through the racially tense byroads of the Carolinas is a daunting task. As for the mystery that hangs over their family, its implications will demand that one sister sacrifice everything for the other—if she has the strength to do so. The Secret Keepers is a haunting tale of love and the secrets that tear families apart.

268 pages, Paperback

First published October 3, 2015

About the author

Jeanette Perosa lives in Limerick PA with her husband, four children, a pack of miniature schnauzers and a cat. She is a graduate of Arcadia University with an MFA in Creative Writing. She is an avid reader and writes women’s fiction and young adult fiction. She currently has been published in numerous literary journals, both nationally and internationally. When not writing, teaching, or running her business she loves to travel, drink good wine and spent quality time with her family.

Reviews

[Sherry Bledsoe · Rating 5 out of 5]

The South Will Never Change

A story of a rich white girl who falls in love with a black boy (a servant boy) and the natural order of those consequences. The girl becomes pregnant, her family disowns her and hangs the black boy (all of this took place during the WWIi era). The young white girl leaves town and catches the eye of a young white soldier who falls in love with her and rapidly marries her (like many War time romances) not knowing her condition. He is sent off to war and when he returns (with his own problems) accepts the child as his own (the baby easily passes for white). Another pregnancy soon after his return results in the birth of another baby girl. One daughter with dark brown hair and one with blond hair and the image of her mother. The mother contracts polio and dies leaving the very unstable father to raise the children. Problem is he the worst kind of father. Unstable from his war experiences and the loss of his young wife, he quickly turns into a drunk and abusive father. This is really the beginning of the story and the rest is told by flash backs. The girls are 15 and 12 when the story begins and relates the brutal hardships of these girls. So as not to spoil the story for future readers - I will finish my review by saying the rest of the story is about the journey to find their grandparents and how they both slowly learn about their Mother along the way. Some might call this a love story and it was but not your typical boy/girl love story. I found this to be a story of victims - the children and the sacrifices these sisters makes for each other. Its a love story between siblings. I recommend this book because it tells an accurate story and tells it well but its a dark book with an ending that is acceptable if not exactly the way you might want it to end.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I give this book a strong 4 1/2. Set bCk in prohibition in the Carolinas this is two motherless sisters story
Their father is a broken man. An alcoholic veteran who has never gotten over his wife's death. As he turns abusive Mandy the oldest tries to protect her sister But one night an argument gets out of hand family secrets are exposed and the girls are left to try and make their way to a grandmother they have never known only knowing their mom never wanted them to have to go there
This is one secret that could destroy many

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book!!!!! Packed with a lot of mystery and surprises!!!!! This book is a real page turner which left me on the edge of my seat. There is some heartache in this book too!!!!! So glad that I have won this. Even though I finished this book I will keep it to read again in the future!!!!

[Julann · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good first novel from the author! The main characters Mandy and Jolee are very well developed and interesting to follow. You really care about what happens to them at the end.

[Kathy Hester · Rating 5 out of 5]

Secrets

Very good book..lots of secrets....twists and turns...hard to put down...couldn't wait to continue reading and get all the clues answered! Wonderful read!

[Patricia Bergman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this book from Goodreads giveaway.

This is an interesting study of grief, abuse, and racial cruelty in the south. The characters are well developed and the story is good. I can recommend this for young adults as well as adults

[TS · Rating 4 out of 5]

Note: I won this book as part of a giveaway and I am giving my honest review!
I read this book on a plane months ago and I am quite sure my seatmate thought I was crazy. The girls's father's treatment made me so filled with emotion that I kept putting my book down, trying to compose myself and gather the strength to read on. The way Jeanette wrote this book, the emotion was so strong and compelling and I felt their fear and uncertainty. I felt the pain of losing their mother and the pain of one sister being singled out for (what I found out later) her parentage. I felt the younger sister's confusion at the situation. I figured early on that they must not have been full blood sisters because of the way their dad treated them and how awful he was to the older sister.

This book is one filled with emotions that run really deep. It is absolutely a tough but worth it read! I am so excited for the next book in this series that goes back to their mother's point of view. In this book, she is portrayed almost like an angel -- virtuous and innocent and pure -- so it will be extremely interesting to see things from her side and unravel some of those preconceived notions!! Great read.

[Paula Mccallum · Rating 4 out of 5]

The end was far from a shock, although I thought the sisters would never part. My favorite characters were Mrs Mannert & Mandy. I can't understand how Mandy lived 15 years without knowing she was a mulatto or quadroon or other fraction of blackness. Clearly, the black people in the story all figured it out. I guess it shows how blind trust can be.

[Martha Beloat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Disappointed

I chose this book because it came across as a stand alone and so many others are not. I enjoyed the book until about mid way and it started to get predictable. I got to the happily ever after ending....what? We're suppose to forget the murders? Did the police not investigate, were they just imagination? Or am I suppose to imagine how it should end?

[Marcus P · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVE this book! It kept me on the edge of my seat. I read every single day, and probably have read thousands of books in my life (so far) and truly believe this is one of the BEST I have ever read. I won't spoil it for you, but the ending is very unexpected. A MUST READ for anyone who loves great novels! Can't wait for the next one from this up and coming GREAT AUTHOR!

[Jodi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great story

I enjoyed reading this book and loved the characters. The ending was a total shock. I recommend this book for a light read with some suspense.

[erin demers · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ok read

This book has so much potential. Unfortunately, the characters and their storylines are not fully developed. This book could be so much more.

[sylvia kropp · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book. Kept me up reading it.

Good summertime read with twist s and turns. Good luck putting this book down.
Characters were loveable and villains were despicable.

[TigerLily]

I didn't receive the book