Throwback Thursday – What We Keep by Elizabeth Berg

Throwback Thursday is a meme created by Renee at It’s Book Talk to share old favorite books rather than just the new shiny ones. This is a great idea to bring back to life some much-loved books. Please feel free to join in.

My choice for this week is: 

What We Keep by Elizabeth Berg 

Published May 25, 1998 by Ballantine Books

Goodreads Description:

Do you ever really know your mother, your daughter, the people in your family? In this rich and rewarding new novel by the beloved bestselling author of Talk Before Sleep and The Pull of the Moon, a reunion between two sisters and their mother reveals how the secrets and complexities of the past have shaped the lives of the women in a family.

Ginny Young is on a plane, en route to see her mother, whom she hasn’t seen or spoken to for thirty-five years. She thinks back to the summer of 1958, when she and her sister, Sharla, were young girls. At that time, a series of dramatic events–beginning with the arrival of a mysterious and sensual next-door neighbor–divided the family, separating the sisters from their mother. Moving back and forth in time between the girl she once was and the woman she’s become, Ginny at last confronts painful choices that occur in almost any woman’s life, and learns surprising truths about the people she thought she knew best.

Emotional honesty and a true understanding of people and relationships are combined in this moving and deeply satisfying new book by the novelist who “writes with humor and a big heart about resilience, love and hope. And the transcendence that redeems.

My Thoughts:

I read my first novel from Elizabeth Berg almost twenty years ago. The book was “Talk Before Sleep” and it was a fantastic read.

One of the next books I read was this one. The description for “What We Keep” pulled me in and I couldn’t wait to read it. I love books that involve mother-daughter relationships, secrets, and family drama. This one hit all the right notes. 

Though it’s been many years since I read this, I still have good feelings when I think of it. It’s another book on my to re-read list. Elizabeth Berg writes about women, family, love, and loss in a wonderful way.

I highly recommend this novel.

Have you read this? I’d love to hear your thoughts!