This novel is fire!

I'm consumed, distracted and captivated. This author knows her craft and has created, to me, a literary model of perfection.

If I may compare writing style, I would contrast to Margaret Atwood, Elizabeth Strout, Marilynne Robinson. If you approach this book with the anticipation that it is similar with titles, such as My Dark Vanessa, as is headlined, you may be disillusioned. The style of this author's writing is on another level than that of others and may not be appreciated by fans of those of similar material. Whether this was created in 30 days or 30 years, it is just perfect in entirety. How will I go on and find another, of which the standard has been set so high.

Many, many thanks to the fabulous Canadian Author, Fawn Parker; the publisher and NetGalley for this striking read! Fantastic!

With her father’s health condition deteriorating, Hillary Greene recently moved in to help care for him. During his career, he was a celebrated author. Now, with the help of his daughter, he wants to write a memoir documenting his life.

However, since her father’s memory is declining, Hillary is the one writing the memoir. While he watches his old interviews and writes disjointed notes, Hillary intimates to the publisher that it is solely her father’s work.

The more she writes and delves into her memories, the more she learns about the heinous truth of her father’s past.

Being back in her family home and delving into research brings up a shore of memories for Hillary, not all of them good. On top of everything, Hillary is still grieving the recent passing of her sister Pauline.

With all these thoughts churning, Hillary must decide whether to reveal her father for the revolting man he is or preserve the last of his reputation.

This novel shares similar themes with My Dark Vanessa, but I'd say this is the more literary version. The writing style is easy to read, but it is also very distant and, at times, disturbing.

There's this overarching sense of gloominess and uneasiness throughout the book. I was expecting a big reveal, but it never came.

I wonder if I missed something too. Hillary constantly calls her father baby, both in her own narrative and when speaking to him. I am sure his name is Marcus, but the baby thing threw me off every time. Maybe calling him baby made it easier for her to disassociate his present and past selves. In any case, it was strange.

I did find the story compelling, hence the three stars, but I was expecting more.

If you enjoy slow, literary, slice-of-life books where not much happens, then this is the book for you.

CW: SA (off-page), animal harm (disturbing).

Thank you to McClelland & Stewart for providing an arc via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

https://booksandwheels.com

As someone who didn't love "Dark Vanessa", I approached Fawn Parker's "What We Both Know" very cautiously. So I was thrilled to quickly learn that other than the shared plot of abuse, the books and their writing styles are very different.

Parker's writing is unique and incredible - and really made the story that much more than I had expected. The plot is all things - It's heartbreaking, beautiful, dark, and almost inspiring. I'll certainly be checking out Parker's other works very soon!

Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publisher for the journey "What We Both Know" took me on!

I had really high hope for the novel, but it didn’t work out for me. It’s been compared to my dark Vanessa and I didn’t see the connection. It was really just a biography on a terrible person. I couldn’t connect with any of the characters and the MC calling her dad Baby constantly was annoying. The writing was really disjointed and maybe that’s why I couldn’t connect.
2/5. Wasn’t for me but someone else will probably love it.

I initially was interested in this book because it was being compared to My Dark Vanessa, which is a novel that sicks with me to this day. I think having that comparison does a disservice to anyone reading this novel, and the novel itself. The focus is not so much on the crime or even the person who did irreparable damage to another human being. It is really an exploration of a person who was ignorant to events surrounding the lives of her family, and confronting those events later in life. Hillary gives up a lot in her life to take care of her aged father, who is going through dementia/alzheimer's . She agrees to ghost write his memoir, and in doing so goes through his past, and has the moral dilemma of how much to reveal. Whether to expose the terrible things he did or just enough to maintain his image.

The writing style of this book took some getting used to, but I ended up really connecting to Hillary's voice and point of view. If you would like to explore what it feels like to love and care for someone who is not worthy of it, I would highly recommend reading this novel.

thank you to netgalley and mcclelland & stewart for the e-arc!

this was certainly... a book. i like the premise a lot and i think the themes were very well chosen, but something about it in general just didn't work for me?? maybe it's the writing style? the complete lack of attachment to the protagonist as a result of the writing style?

i definitely see the merit in the novel but i don't know... just wasn't for me

I really wanted to love this book as at first I thought it may be like Verity, but as I kept reading, thinking some larger plot was going to unfold, I found myself disappointed by the lack of progression. The disjointedness of Hillary's thoughts was extremely confusing and I found myself having to go back and read passages multiple times just to kind of understand them. I also thought that the more major plot points that unfolded were rather anticlimactic and glossed over with just a few sentences. I kept waiting for the grand reveal that the book seemed to be hinting at but we never got there which was disappointing.

I was attracted to this book because of the reference to My Dark Vanessa. I found that the writing was very literary in that sparing and detached manner that feels melancholic and loaded with the unsaid. It was contemporary and introspective. That being said, I personally found it a little too slow and plodding, and perhaps just not what I was looking for at this time . Thanks to Netgalley for the arc.

Disclaimer: this is my personal opinion and if you liked this book, I am happy for you.

This book is recommended for fans of My Dark Vanessa, but it shouldn’t be compared at all. The entire book I was waiting for something to happen, and then it was just over. The only saving grace is that I enjoyed the author’s writing style. However, I’m just very dissatisfied with how the story played out because the plot had SO MUCH potential.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book appealed to me, largely because of the description. I enjoyed My Dark Vanessa and similar reads but found this to be nothing like any of those books. The writing style was very unique however I found it disjointed and distracting. Hillary calling her father ‘Baby’ irritated me through the whole book. This book was not for me, I finished it but grudgingly.

Very compelling. Complex, layered, dark and looming. The writing style is so singular. It deals with issues of narrative, perception, and truth with so much thought. The ending had my heart pounding. What an excellent book.

A deeply disturbing, often disjointed and chaotic look at childhood traumas and how they shape adults into who they become. Family isn’t always there to protect you and when you get the chance will you protect them? Sad tale of a writer losing his memory and a daughter torn between writing her truths or his.

Thank you Netgalley for this arc

Thank you NetGalley and McClelland & Stewart for the digital ARC of this book!

How funny is it that this is the second NetGalley arc I've had in a row involving writing a memoir?? Fawn Parker's What We Both Know is a dark, grim novel about walking a fine line between right and wrong. Hillary plays a major role in the writing of her ailing father's memoir, and for the first time finds that she holds a lot of power in her hands. To tell the truth or to hide it away, which will she do?

I've never quite read a writing style like Fawn Parker's. It was incredibly gripping and detailed, and I never wanted to put it down because her narration was so precise (I also LOVE getting to read and support Canadian authors, so that was a plus!). I think generally, this is not a book I would have sought out on my own. It was way out of my comfort zone, and reading in such an unfamiliar ground for me was a bit of a jolt to the system that might have hindered my reading experience. Still, it's an important book with subject matter handled meticulously by Parker. If you're a fan of darker fiction, I'd recommend!

its comparison to My Dark Vanessa is accurate, so proceed with caution. this novel deals with some heavy hitting topics, but the author handles them well. overall i enjoyed this book, as much as you can enjoy a novel of this topic.