Review: Hidden Truths by Elly Swartz (Children's, 9 years +, middle grade, 9/10E)

 

Gorgeous cover!

 

October 2023, Delacorte Press, Hardback, Review copy

Book summary

Dani and Eric have been best friends since Dani moved next door in second grade. They bond over donuts, comic books, and camping on the Cape.

Until one summer when everything changes.

Did Eric cause the accident that leaves Dani unable to do the one thing in the world she most cares about? The question plagues him, and he will do anything to get answers about the explosion that injured her. But Dani is hurting too much to want Eric to pursue the truth—she just wants to shut him out and move on. Besides, Eric has a history of dropping things he starts. Eric knows that and is determined that this will be the one time he follows through.

But what if his pursuit brings him into direct conflict with another friend? Where does Eric’s loyalty really lie?

Nayu's thoughts

I was initially intrigued by how Dani ended up in hospital, since I have experience of staying in one as a child. Prior to the accident it was interesting seeing how close Dani and Eric were, they were like brother and sister in how they treat each other. Having a more conservative background I found it a little odd they were allowed to stay sleep over with each other but there was absolutely nothing romantic about their friendship, it was purely platonic. 

The accident itself was very dramatic in a good way, and the range of emotions Dani experienced were what I'd expect from her age. Baseball was her life and she felt her world was destroyed by her injuries which needed a very long recovery period. Being a few decades older than her I could see that while she felt it was awful, given time she would see it wasn't the end of her career, it was just a little set back and she would eventually get back to the boys' team which she had been able to join right before the accident, a great achievement for her. 

As for Eric, the agony he went through by keeping a lot of his worries about the accident to himself tore him up inside. His emotions were equally as raw as Dani's. I absolutely loved the realism of when his family finally found out about his possible involvement, they clearly wanted to support him and boost his shattered confidence but there was a real sense of disappointment and fear that his accidental mistake could have caused everything that Dani went through.  The way both the two friends had to try rebuild their trust in each other and deal with ugly realities was really well written and relatable. Elly definitely is fantastic at dealing with tricky emotions and making it realistic, not melodramatic. 

Make sure you check out Elly's website. 

Suggested read

For another tale about emotions check out The Snow Witch by Rosie Boyes (Children's, 9 years +, 10E/10E)

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