A Sea of Unspoken Things by Adrienne Young

A woman investigates her brother's mysterious death while coming to terms with her own haunting past in this atmospheric novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Unmaking of June Farrow

The only thing James and Johnny Golden have ever had is each other. For as long as she can remember, James’s deep connection with her twin brother, Johnny, has gone beyond intuition—she can feel what he feels. So, when Johnny is killed in a tragic accident, James knows before her phone even rings that her brother is gone and that she’s alone—truly alone—for the first time in her life.

When James arrives in the rural town of Hawthorne, California to settle her brother’s affairs, she’s forced to rehash the ominous past she and Johnny shared and finally face Micah, the only person who knows about it. He’s also the only man she’s ever loved.

But James soon discovers that the strange connection she had with Johnny isn’t quite gone, and the more she immerses herself into his world, the more questions she has about the brother she thought she knew. Johnny was keeping secrets, and he’s not the only one. What she uncovers will push her to unravel what happened in the days before Johnny’s death, but in the end, she’ll have to decide which truths should come to light, and which should stay buried forever.

Hardcover, 288 pages

Published January 7, 2025

 by Delacorte Press

3.5/5 stars

This is my second Adrienne Young book, the previous being The Unmaking of June Farrow, which was a magical realism story. 

James returns home to go through your brother’s belongings after his sudden and tragic death. Johnny was killed in the bush while researching the lifestyle of a certain owl. James left many years ago after the tragic death of a friend that still brings up bitter memories of the past.

This was very slow paced story that I did a combo read and listen to the audiobook, it isn’t very long, but still managed to keep my attention with the multiple layers. It slowly unraveled the past to reveal what happened in the months previous to Johnny’s death. There were parts of the story that took me by surprise, not anticipating some things. It wasn’t the best mystery suspense story that I have read, but it was entertaining as it talks about the connection between twins, and even in your 30's this is a story of self discovery. 

I continue to read this author as I found she delivers with unique plots and likeable characters.

This book was part of my 2025 reading off my shelf challenge (#20) .