Now Read This: “The Words Between Us,” by Erin Bartels

Robin’s father is a monster — a murderer. He is the infamous Sen. Norman Windsor who was tried and convicted of three counts of murder and his alleged dealings with al-Qaeda. Robin’s mother played the role of an accomplice to his misdeeds. And when both of her parents were sentenced to prison, Robin fled to small-town Michigan to live with her grandmother and adopted a new name — Robin Dickinson.

But a new name and some carefully-crafted lies can’t conceal her identity forever. She may have spent years hidden away from the public’s eye, but all her secrets begin to surface on the day of her father’s execution. Numerous reporters start lurking around her bookstore. Her friends begin asking questions about the past she never willingly revealed. And just when she can’t handle anything more, a mysterious package arrives in the mail, containing an old copy of “The Catcher in the Rye.” With the appearance of this first novel, Robin’s past mistakes creep back into her life one book at a time.

Erin Bartels’ “The Words Between Us” follows Robin Windsor’s present as she writes about her life. It shows both the past and the present in alternating chapters, treating the past like flashbacks that add a lot of insight to the story’s characters and events. I really enjoyed seeing the changes in the various relationships as the story progressed, and I especially liked Bartels’ attention to the smaller details that made these two timelines flow together. This includes the introduction of both important revelations and previously unknown characters.

This story hooked me from the very first line and kept my attention until the very end. The plot progressed smoothly, and nothing seemed rushed, even though I read through it rather quickly. I would recommend this title for fans of contemporary fiction who enjoy texts that have a steady pace.