We tend to think of our parents and grandparents as always being the way we know them after we come into their lives. We forget that they had lives, often quite different ones, before we were a part of them.
“The Hideaway” by Lauren Denton is the story of Sara who returns to Sweet Bay, Alabama after her strange grandmother, Mags, dies and leaves Sara her run down bed and breakfast that has become “a senior citizen commune with a revolving door”. Mags last request is that Sara return, use her talents and skills to renovate the house and property to its fullest potential” and live there while the renovations are taking place.
After returning to The Hideaway to fulfill her grandmother’s last wishes, she stumbles upon a box filled with curious items that belonged to Mags. These items point to a very different person than Sara believed her grandmother to be. Her first inkling that perhaps Mags was not quite who she thought she was occurred at the funeral where a photo of her is displayed. In it, Mags is in her early twenties and smiling at the person taking the photo in a way that clearly showed how much she loved the person taking the photo. Sara also realizes how much she resembles Mags… much more than either of her parents who died tragically when she was twelve.
“The Hideaway” switches from the present to 1960 where we learn what the items in the box are and how they made Mags into the courageous, strong woman that she became. During the course of the book, Sara questions what she thought of her grandmother and what she believes true happiness is and where it can be found.
I gave “The Hideaway” five stars. It is a beautiful story of love, kindness and becoming the person you were meant to be. Oh, and I loved the cover; it was perfect.
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