Edward Hamilton’s Secrets Kept from His Daughter is a rich, character-driven story that weaves heartbreak, guilt, and love into a slow-burning emotional unraveling. The novel follows Chris Thomas, a once-devoted husband and father, as he quietly vanishes from his home and family in the middle of the night, leaving behind a trail of unanswered questions. At its heart, the book explores the rippling effects of silence—how unspoken traumas and bottled-up emotions can fracture even the strongest bonds. Through a dual narrative of Chris and those he left behind, including his wife Carol and best friend Aaron, Hamilton examines the weight of regret and the human urge to run from what haunts us.

What grabbed me immediately was the rawness of Hamilton’s writing. The first chapter lands with a gut punch—Chris rolling away in the night, not as an act of cowardice, but a desperate bid to protect his family from his inner torment. It’s not flashy or dramatic; it’s quiet and devastating. That moment when Carol’s daughter, Melissa, tells her, “He kissed me butterflies and left,” actually choked me up. The writing isn’t trying to be clever—it’s just deeply honest. And I respect that. The scenes in Carol’s perspective are particularly strong. Her descent from confusion to devastation feels real, especially when she opens Chris’s manuscript and realizes he finished his book without telling her. That moment of betrayal hit hard, not just because of what he did—but because of what he didn’t do.

Some monologues felt a little too introspective—like the dream sequences with Aaron. While they helped build mood, I occasionally found myself pulled out of the story. But even then, I couldn’t help but admire how well Hamilton captured the feeling of being stuck between what you want to say and what you actually do. Aaron’s scenes with Sharon were some painfully familiar emotional disconnect. That confusion, that longing for someone to meet you halfway. Hamilton nails that quiet heartbreak. Not with big declarations—but in the silence between them.

Secrets Kept from His Daughter is not a fast read, and it’s not light. But it’s worth sitting with. It’s a story for people who have lived through messy relationships, who understand that love doesn’t always mean clarity, and that sometimes the ones we love most are the ones we hurt without meaning to. I’d recommend this to readers who enjoy introspective, emotionally layered fiction with real, flawed characters.

Pages: 237 | ASIN : B0DZPGK148