the unknowing
“Our pain isn’t here to hurt us. It only wants to be seen.”
When tragedy takes the life of sixteen-year-old Devan Jacoby, grief shatters his family. Desperate to see them happy again, the boy’s soul remains in the earthly realm, at his grandmother’s house on the rocky Connecticut coast. In the years that follow, his parents and siblings neglect each other, cheat and lie, wall themselves off, and cling to grudges. Stagnant and stuck, attached to their suffering, they can’t move on until they all let go.
After a decade apart, the estranged family reunites at a wedding in Rhode Island—on New Year’s Eve at a run-down inn with its own dark past—and Devan risks his place in the afterlife to help his loved ones find forgiveness. To heal though, they’ll have to dig up their guilt, unearth the truth, and exhume old secrets.
But are some secrets best left buried?
Ken Gagne’s third book will hold your heart and your attention from start to finish. It’s a gripping story with relatable characters about connection, loss, forgiveness, healing and love. It took me on an emotional journey that had me wondering what happens when we get stuck and hold on to unresolved pain. What happens when we die? Gagne has a gift for story telling and this one does not disappoint!
I LOVED this book. It captured my attention right away, and I kept reading to find out the ending. It's a story about mistakes, loss, grief and regret. A family tragedy about the death of a loved one and how it affected everyone: the struggles, the lessons learned and the transformation of each individual. Gagne really made me think about life after death. A must read!
Be ready for unexpected twists and turns, even up to the very end. You will fall in love with some folks in the book, despise others, and then perhaps change your mind. Unresolved issues and unresolved grief took me to places in my heart and mind that have been untouched until now. As the cliche goes, "You’ll laugh, you’ll cry," but this story will stay with you… maybe always.
Congratulations to Ken Gagne for yet another great story! This book was filled with the kind of family struggles that each of us has to navigate in our own lives. Examples of words that should be spoken and actions that should be taken--while we still have a chance--remind us not to wait. A sprinkle of the afterlife makes the story even more riveting. Definitely a great read!
After reading Ken Gagne’s first two books, I looked forward to The Unknowing. And it did not disappoint. I loved this book primarily due to the language; Gagne’s words are almost poetic. This story demonstrates the importance of communication, and how if the characters (and people in general) just talked to each other, a lot of heartbreak could be avoided. I hope Gagne has another novel up his sleeve, because I am looking forward to his next one. No pressure!
