In EVERY WORD UNSAID, KIMBERLY DUFFY uses her incredible command of the English language to not only describe the surroundings, but also the emotions and complexities of human nature. It is a beautiful book with an amazing story and unforgettable characters. There is also a strong Christian message woven into it, especially that of overcoming fear and rejection. It is a book that really needs to be savoured to get the most enjoyment out of it.
Augusta (Gussie) Travers’ enthusiasm for life, and wanting to live it to the full, her daring travels in order to get stories and photographs for her column in the Ladies’ Weekly as the Adventuress, causes her family, who have never taken the time to understand her, to reject her. In fact the only people who really love her for herself are her Uncle James, a former Pinkerton agent, and her childhood friends, Catherine and Gabriel (Specs).
When the identity of the Adventuress is discovered, the scandal is too much for her family and they send her to stay with her aunt in Chicago until she falls into line with their expectations. She chooses rather to take up her editor’s offer to go to India for six months and write about her travels there, managing to escape her indomitable Uncle James, who follows her there.
I really like the way that Bimla, who also suffers from rejection by her family, relates to Gussie, and they form a strong bond. I like to see their refusal to be defined by what others say about them. One of my favourite quotations from the book, and there are many, is, “ We aren’t responsible for where we have come from.Only where we go. ”
As we follow Gussie’s journey we see how the people she meets, the change in her relationship with Specs, Catherine and Uncle James, the horrors of the bubonic plague, the abject poverty, together with the beauty that shines through in spite of everything, lead to her wanting to do something worthwhile with her story writing and photographic gifts.
I will leave the story here, as I do not want to spoil the read for you.
This is a novel that I will definitely read again. I cannot recommend Every Word Unsaid highly enough.
I was given a free copy of the book by NetGalley from Bethany House Publishers. The opinions in this review are completely my own.
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