We Don't Talk About Carol by Kristen L. Berry
Published by Bantam Press
Publication date: June 3, 2025
Genres: Book Clubs, Fiction, Mystery
Bookshop
We Don’t Talk About Carol begins with Sydney going back home after her grandmother’s death to help clear out her house. In doing so, she comes across a picture of a little girl who looks somewhat like her. She discovers this is an aunt who disappeared when she was a teenager and that Sydney was never told about. She’s immediately intrigued and wants to learn more but as both her mother and grandmother have died answers are hard to come by. Sydney doesn’t let this stop her and starts talking to her grandmother’s friends. She quickly learns the girl’s name was Carol and she was one of six Black girls who disappeared from their area in North Carolina in the 1960s.
There are two sources of tension and complications in We Don’t Talk About Carol. One, Sydney was a crime reporter who worked on a big case 10 years ago involving a missing girl. She became utterly obsessed with the case to the point of having a nervous breakdown and having to leave her job. The girl was never found, but a part of Sydney has yet to give up. Two, she’s prepping for IVF and is on a hormonal rollercoaster. So, while she’s drawn to this mystery dredging up the past, especially about another missing girl is a minefield. Her husband is understanding about her need for family history, but is very cautious and concerned about her mental well-being.
This was a slow burn mystery. Kristen Berry goes back into the past of Carol and Sydney and both are complicated. There are some points where it felt like she was pushing Sydney’s heightened emotions a bit too far, making her seem irrational, but it’s not pervasive and doesn’t get in the way of how the mystery unravels. More importantly, We Don’t Talk About Carol was well crafted, kept me reading, and had a complete surprise towards the end.
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*I received a free copy of this book from Bantam Press in exchange for an honest review.*
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