A Sea of Unspoken Things

While Young’s (The Unmaking of June Farrow) work of magical realism promises a mystery, it instead delves into mysterious connections forged by blood and circumstance. James Golden and her mercurial twin brother, Johnny, spent their formative years in the rural logging town of Six Rivers, CA. After a tragic accident, the twins separated; James went to San Francisco to study art, and Johnny stayed behind. Twenty years later, Johnny is killed in what seems like a hunting accident, and James must return to Six Rivers to settle her brother’s affairs while reckoning with a love she thought was lost and a twin brother she might not have truly known. While mystery fans might not approve of how Young seems to simply hand James the necessary clues to unravel the mystery, she nonetheless creates an atmospheric story that draws readers in. Embodied by narrator Christine Lakin, Young’s characters shine. Lakin’s breathy, soothing narration details James’s nearly mystical connection with her twin brother, along with the beauty of the land and the people James can’t quite escape.