As long as she can remember, it's been Nicola and her sister Viv agains the world. Abandoned by their parents, the two of them managed to raise themselves. They turned out pretty well, too: Viv is a successful surgeon with a husband and a big house, while 26-year-old Nicola is following her passion as a working artist.
Nicola would have said she knew her charismatic older sister better than anyone in the world -- right up until that terrible midnight phone call. A car wreck has left Viv widowed and unconscious. Nicola drops everything to get to her sister, but once there, she discovers that Viv has been concealing one astonishing secret after another.
Waiting for Viv to wake, Nicola must untangle the web of truth and lies around their family's past while trying to navigate their future.
She Taught Me Everything is a compelling story about sisters and secrets, and about the awful choices that can redefine the entire shape of a family.
"Well developed and captivating. So well written with an intriguing story. The bond of two sisters and their unique family history kept me wondering what was next in the back story and the coinciding current story. Would highly recommend!"
"Lovely family drama. Love love."
50 ratings, 27 reviews, 4.36 stars
This novel was incredibly compelling. Linton’s descriptions are particular in that they are concise and to-the-point while still being incredibly specific and evocative. I found her ability to paint a full portrait of a character from little descriptions of their mannerisms to be skillful and effective. No detail in this story was forgotten, and simultaneously, no description felt like a throwaway or filler...
All in all, She Taught Me Everything was an incredibly beautifully written piece of literary fiction with elements of mystery that made the story even more compelling. Trigger warnings for this novel include a car accident, death, grief, non-graphic animal death, hospital, mentions of child abuse, mentions of abortion and miscarriages, and a brief mention of an Indigenous stereotype. I would recommend this novel to anyone interested in steadily-paced stories about sisterhood and family secrets with elements of mystery and complex, fleshed-out characters.
