This list was interesting to pull together because I wasn’t entirely sure I was going to do it but it ended up coming together fairly easily. Facing your past or confronting your past is something that most people have to do at some point in their lives, though I will admit that very few of them are anywhere near as dark as what these books will cover. However, each of them is about someone, or more than one someone, facing their past either of their choice or because circumstances forced them to. In many ways each of these books is fairly different but underlying that they do have this same common theme that permeates everything in them.
- The Midnight Feast
My first choice was The Midnight Feast by Lucy Foley. This happens to be the only book on the list where almost every character faces their past because something happens that forces them to do so. Bella is really the only one that purposefully set out to face their past in order to gain closure by doing so. However, due to the circumstances surrounding both current events and past events both Owen and Francesca end up facing their past as well. While the story is told by several different narrators these are the primary three that face their past. It is told in a mix of the present and flashbacks as well as glimpses of the aftermath as it shows how events unfolded. It is a very weird story and not necessarily a pleasant one to read as it deals with some pretty bad events at times but it does focus on how the past events affected the current events and characters. In doing so it also explores how they are intertwined with each other through those events.
2. Blood Will Tell
My second choice is a book that you have already seen recently on one of my lists and it is Blood Will Tell by Heather Chavez. In this book the main character is Frankie Barrera who is trying desperately to forget a single night from five years previous, a night in which something might have happened but which she tries to deny might have happened. At least, she tries to deny her and her sister’s involvement in what might have happened. However, when something happens and she and her sister get drawn back in, she is forced to confront that night and work on figuring out what really happened and how her and her sister might have been involved. Unlike the previous story this one is almost entirely Frankie’s story since it focuses heavily on her. There are flashbacks though which gradually narrate the events of five years ago and they happen to be the only sections told from a different perspective, that of Frankie’s sister. It still deals with facing and confronting your past but this is the only book on the list where it was forced the entire time. Frankie seriously plans to spend her whole life forgetting that night and only starts investigating because she has no other choice in order to save her sister now. This creates a bit of a different feel than the previous book.
3. The Last Time I Lied
My final choice is The Last Time I Lied by Riley Sager and it is probably on the darker side for this list. Emma is the main focus for this one and she is dealing with the guilt from an event fifteen years previous when her cabinmates disappeared at summer camp. Having the opportunity to return to that camp she takes it in an attempt to get closure though she is also hoping to figure out what actually happened to the three girls. When three new girls go missing though and Emma ends up a suspect she quickly starts racing to put the pieces together and in the process confront her own role in the disappearance and aftermath of the original three girls. Much like with the others, this book is told in a mix of present events and flashbacks but this one is entirely from Emma’s perspective. There are no other narrators which does make for a different feel from the others. It is similar to the previous book though with both Emma and Frankie being determined to hide or ignore certain elements of past events and their role in them. Overall, I think I ended up with a pretty good list here so let me know what you think. If you know of any other books that would also work for this list feel free to let me know in the comments.