The Stories We Tell: A Novel

Written by Patti Callahan Henry

Narrated by Andi Arndt

Bestselling author Patti Callahan Henry is back with a powerful novel about the stories we tell and the people we trust.

Eve and Cooper Morrison are Savannah's power couple. They're on every artistic board and deeply involved in the community. She owns and operates a letterpress studio specializing in the handmade; he runs a digital magazine featuring all things southern gentlemen. The perfect juxtaposition of the old and the new, Eve and Cooper are the beautiful people. The lucky ones. And they have the wealth and name that comes from being part of an old Georgia family.

But things may not be as good as they seem.

Eve's sister, Willa, is staying with the family until she gets "back on her feet." Their daughter, Gwen, is all adolescent rebellion. And Cooper thinks Eve works too much. Still, the Morrison marriage is strong. After twenty-one years together, Eve and Cooper know each other. They count on each other. They know what to expect. But when Cooper and Willa are involved in a car accident, the questions surrounding the event bring the family close to breaking point. Sifting between the stories—what Cooper says, what Willa remembers, what the evidence indicates—Eve has to find out what really happened. And what she's going to do about it.

A riveting story about the power of truth, The Stories we Tell will open your eyes and rearrange your heart.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Macmillan Audio
• Release date: Jun 24, 2014
• ISBN: 9781427259288

Patti Callahan Henry

PATTI CALLAHAN HENRY is a full-time writer, wife and mother and the New York Times bestselling author whose novels include Between the Tides, Driftwood Summer and The Perfect Love Song: A Holiday Story. She lives with her husband and three children in Mountain Brook, Alabama, where she is working on her next novel.

Reviews for The Stories We Tell

[Rachel Obrien · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

It captivated me right away. All I wanted to do is keep reading so that I could figure out the truth as all the hints of what really happened appear here and there from different avenues. So I loved the mystery and unknown and the relationships that unfolded. But in the end it left me wanting more. More depth of characters, more emotion to the reveal of truth. It was good, but just needed something more to rate it higher.

[Reilly Ward · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

I love this author, but the fake southern accent on this reader makes me wanna hurt someone. Couldn’t get through the first 5 minutes!

[christopherswann · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

How to write a review of a friend's novel? I want to meet Gwen and see her fall in love and watch the face of the lucky guy who realizes he's won her heart. I want to hear Francie sing. I want to have a long conversation with Willa because we'd probably laugh all the way through it. I have a few things I'd like to say to Cooper. I want to hear Max tell one of his stories. I want to see Eve's studio and watch her create something beautiful out of paper and ink and metal. I want to have a glass of wine or three with these folks and sing and wander around Savannah with them at 3:00 AM.

"This is a happy story."

[nyiper · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

One wonders how Eve managed to live the life she did (with that husband) for so long but of course, it all fit right into the story of trying to find herself---the book flows right along and has just enough confused mystery to make you, as well as Eve, want to know "the truth." I like the way Henry writes and I'm surprised that this is the first book of hers that I have read--she has written a lot so there is much more ahead for me.

[susan0316 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Eve is a poor girl from the wrong side of the tracks in Savannah when she marries the rich Cooper Morrison. His family never fully accepts her but she makes a good life for him and their daughter Gwen, At the beginning of the novel, Eve and Cooper have been married for 21 years, he runs a successful on line magazine, she runs a successful printing company, her only sister Willa lives in a cottage on their property and their daughter is a typical teenager. All of that changes when Cooper and Willa are in a car accident together and Willa is sustains a brain injury. After that, Eve begins to question the accident and the differences in the story that she is hearing from the two of them. The novel is about the unraveling of the perfect marriage and the perfect life - or were they ever really perfect in the first place and can that life be saved. A very good book by a fantastic author. Not to be missed.

[jenxy21 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The Stories We Tell by Patti Callahan Henry was released today and you don’t want to miss this one! I received an ARC copy from Goodreads.com and this was my first PCH book. I have definitely found a new author. Eve Morrison is “everywoman” and her journey to find the truth is a captivating story! You will fall in love with these ladies. Eve, her sister Willa, and her daughter Gwen are fierce-each in her own way. The Stories We Tell reveals life challenges that we all face and the choices we must make to tell our own stories. Great anytime read but put it on your summer list!

[lisa875 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I received this book as First Reads copy from Good Reads. It's about trust in relationships and how important it is to have and maintain. Without the slightest bit of trust you are always left wondering how far the other person will go and what their intentions are. It doesn't even matter so much if they did what you think, but that you don't know what they are capable of. It was really interesting in that way. Also, I liked some of how they handled the parent/teenager situation. How as a parent you do the best you can but whatever is left undone or imperfect, that's where the problems will come up and then you have to redirect. The book showed an appreciation for how complicated that is since the adult is also trying to cope with life and their own limitations. It really is a great story in that way. This was the most unfinished early reviewers copy I have received.It had lots of typos. That's not a problem but it does make me wonder if the author will also fix some of the gaps in character development. There were some inconsistencies in characters that seemed odd to me. But overall, I did enjoy the book.