I was recently able to listen to The Story Keeper by Kelly Rimmer compliments of NetGalley. It took me a little while to come around, but I ended up loving it.

A book that tells the history of the lives of the main character’s family within a story of a woman discovering her family’s history? Sounds like a stretch – at least it did to me once I figured it out. Admittedly, the beginning of the story-within-a-story was boring to me and I just wanted to get on with the main story. I had no idea how intertwined the two stories would become.

The way the author deals with domestic abuse, specifically coercive control, is impressive. She shows how a relationship can become abusive in this way, isolating the abused from the world, leaving them only to rely on the abuser.

And Rimmer gives us a glimpse into this world as she adds the light that our antihero brings to the situation. His energy and his compassion bring him to do things he’s never imagined, just to save a young girl from a certain fate.

As the two stories weave together and converge, the whole picture becomes clear. The final scene between mother and daughter is satisfying and emotional. I’d recommend this book. If you feel like you’re struggling in the beginning/middle, hang in there. It gets better.

You can pre-order The Story Keeper and support your local bookstore at https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-story-keeper-a-new-novel-from-the-author-of-the-things-we-cannot-say-kelly-rimmer/4c3f5826e806733d It will be released July 21, 2026.