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WE DON'T TALK ABOUT CAROL

Kristen L. Berry

A dedicated journalist unearths a generations-old family secret and a connection to a string of missing girls that hits way too close to home in this gripping debut novel.
In the wake of her grandmother's passing, Sydney Singleton finds a hidden photograph of a little girl who looks more like Sydney than her own sister, or mother. She soon discovers the mystery girl in the photograph is her aunt, Carol, who was one of six local North Carolina Black girls to go missing in the 1960s. For the last several decades, not a soul has talked about Carol or what really happened to her. With her grandmother gone and Sydney looking to start a family of her own, she is determined to unravel the truth behind her long-lost aunt and the sinister silence surrounding her.

Unfortunately, this is familiar territory for Sydney. Several years prior, working the crime beat as a journalist on the case of another missing girl, her obsession eventually led to a psychotic break. And now, in the suffocating grip of fertility treatments and a marriage that's beginning to crumble, Sydney's relentless pursuit might just lead her down the same path of destruction. As she delves deeper into Carol's fate, her own troubled past resurfaces, clawing its way to the surface with a vengeance. The web of secrets and lies entangling her family leaves Sydney questioning everything -- her fixation on the missing girls, her future as a mom, and everyone she's come to trust.

Delving into family, community, secrets, and motherhood, WE DON'T TALK ABOUT CAROL is a gripping and deeply emotional story about overcoming the rotten roots of your family tree and what we'll do for those we love.

Kristen L. Berry is a writer and communications executive. Born and raised in Metro Detroit, Kristen graduated from the University of Michigan with a bachelor's degree in English language and literature. She has provided PR and communications expertise to leading consumer brands for nearly twenty years, all while writing in her spare time. When she isn't reading or writing, Kristen can be found lifting heavy at the gym, hiking in Malibu, eating her way through Los Angeles with her partner, or shouting at the latest Formula 1 race. WE DON'T TALK ABOUT CAROL is her debut novel.
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Published 2025-06-03 by Bantam Dell

Comments

[A] nail-biting debut thriller.

WE DON'T TALK ABOUT CAROL is so much more than your typical missing person story. A twisting mystery spanning six decades as well as a stark reminder of the disproportionate treatment of missing Black girls in the media, Kristen L. Berry has managed to weave such an elaborate web of thematic threads that when you take a step back to admire the full picture, it's a pretty wondrous thing to behold. A fantastic debut

WE DON'T TALK ABOUT CAROL is at once a moving portrait of the lasting effects of generational trauma, a compelling family drama about the price of silence, and a riveting cold case story that reads with the inevitable propulsiveness of true crime. From sunny LA to secret-keeping wetlands of North Carolina, this novel swept me away.

WE DON'T TALK ABOUT CAROL is a riveting page-turner about marriage, motherhood, and family secrets. As Sydney propulsively unearths long buried secrets, she also reveals herself as a caring, vulnerable, whip-smart, flawed, and hopeful character that I will not soon forget. This is an assured debut by a powerful new voice, and I couldn't put it down.