‘A Sea Of Unspoken Things’ by Adrienne Young – Book Review

Gripping & Well Written

If there’s one author you can always rely on to give you a captivating story and beautifully written prose, it’s Adrienne Young. Whether it be The Unmaking of June Farrow, Spells for Forgetting or the World of the Narrows series, her books are incredibly moreish and enjoyable to read from start to finish.

The latest in this talented writer’s repertoire is mystery thriller A Sea Of Unspoken Things. The story here is gripping and there’s some wonderful descriptive writing  that keeps things ticking along smoothly. While some of the character relationships are a bit weak and the middle does sag a little as the investigation deepens, the pacey, thrilling conclusion more than makes up for it.

The story here centers on James Golden, a woman haunted by the death of her twin brother, Johnny. For as long as she can remember, she’s always had a deep connection with him. However, when Johnny is killed after an accident out in the woods, James heads back to her hometown to settle her brother’s affairs.

However, in digging into the past, James discovers secrets her brother has been keeping from her, along with a childhood lover in Micah whom she’s been avoiding for a while. It soon becomes clear that all is not right in town, and there are dark secrets just waiting to be uncovered.

To complicate matters further, James also realizes she has a strange connection with her twin brother, whom she seems to be spiritually linked to. However, this bond does nothing to quell her doubts surrounding exactly who her brother was – and what he may be up to.

With just over 300 pages to play with, Adrienne Young keeps a rather tight ensemble at the heart of this one, with one chapter serving as a flashback and the rest all generally sticking to a linear timeline. This helps to keep everything grounded, and there’s undoubtedly a lot of vivid descriptions for this small town too. You really get a sense of community from the residents here, and each have distinct personalities.

James is certainly a likable protagonist for the most part, and following her logical investigation as she cycles through social media profiles and bank statements etc. helps you understand her psyche and methodical way of thinking. This all eventually leads to home truths being revealed, and the endings certainly have some great twists you won’t see coming.

Where the book isn’t quite so strong however, is depicting the relationship that Micah and James share. I’m being careful not to go into spoiler territory here but we only learn about snippets of their past, and never see a fully fleshed out on again/off again relationship. I appreciate this isn’t a romantic drama so we’re not going to get that many scenes but I can’t help but feel another 20-30 pages dedicated to more of their past ties would have helped give off more angst between the two. 

Relationship gripes aside, when it comes to a solid mystery and likeable characters, A Sea Of Unspoken Things certainly ticks the right boxes. It undoubtedly could have been tightened up a bit, but if you’re after a good story with beautifully written prose and vivid descriptions, all wrapped up with a couple of nicely placed twists, Adrienne Young’s latest is another hit.

What did you think of A Sea of Unspoken Things? Have you read this one? Let us know your thoughts on the ending in the comments below!