The Golden Hour

By T. Greenwood

“Richly told and hauntingly beautiful, The Golden Hour was impossible to put down.”
--Heather Gudenkauf, New York Times & USA Today bestselling author

On a spring afternoon long ago, thirteen-year-old Wyn Davies took a shortcut through the woods in her New Hampshire hometown and became a cautionary tale. Now, twenty years later, she lives in New York, on the opposite side of a duplex from her ex, with their four-year-old daughter shuttling between them. Wyn makes her living painting commissioned canvases of birch trees to match her clients’ furnishings. But the nagging sense that she has sold her artistic soul is soon eclipsed by a greater fear. Robby Rousseau, who has spent the past two decades in prison for a terrible crime against her, may be released based on new DNA evidence—unless Wyn breaks her silence about that afternoon.
 
To clear her head, refocus her painting, and escape an even more present threat, Wyn agrees to be temporary caretaker for a friend’s new property on a remote Maine island. The house has been empty for years, and in the basement Wyn discovers a box of film canisters labeled “Epitaphs and Prophecies.” Like time capsules, the photographs help her piece together the life of the house’s former owner, an artistic young mother, much like Wyn. But there is a mystery behind the images too, and unraveling it will force Wyn to finally confront what happened in those woods—and perhaps escape them at last. 
 
A compelling and evocative novel with an unsettling question at its heart, T. Greenwood’s The Golden Hour explores the power of art to connect, to heal, and to reveal our most painful and necessary truths.

ACCLAIM FOR T. GREENWOOD’S NOVELS
 
WHERE I LOST HER
 
“Spellbinding. A touching story of one woman’s loss and heartache, coupled with the electrifying search for a young girl. I loved everything about Where I Lost Her." --Mary Kubica, bestselling author of The Good Girl

“Searing, heartbreaking, and suspenseful.” --Publishers Weekly

THE FOREVER BRIDGE

“A compelling read.” --Tawni O’Dell, New York Times bestselling author of Back Roads

“T. Greenwood delves into the pain of grief, and brings the reader to a place of hope and, yes, even joy.” --Ann Hood, author of The Knitting Circle and An Italian Wife

BODIES OF WATER

“A complex and compelling portrait of the painful intricacies of love and loyalty. Book clubs will find much to discuss in T. Greenwood’s insightful story of two women caught between their hearts and their families.” --Eleanor Brown, New York Times bestselling author of The Weird Sisters

“By turns beautiful and tragic, haunting and healing, I was captivated from the very first line.” --Jillian Cantor, author of Margot

GRACE

“A poetic, compelling story that glows in its subtle, yet searing examination of how we attempt to fill the potentially devastating fissures in our lives.” --Amy Hatvany, author of Heart Like Mine

“Exceptionally well-observed. Readers who enjoy insightful and sensitive family drama will appreciate discovering Greenwood.” --Library Journal

• Language: English
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Release date: Feb 28, 2017
• ISBN: 9780758290588

T. Greenwood

T. GREENWOOD's novels have sold over 300,000 copies. She has received grants from the Sherwood Anderson Foundation, the Christopher Isherwood Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Maryland State Arts Council. Her novel Bodies of Water was a 2014 Lambda Literary Awards Finalist, and she is the recipient of four San Diego Book Awards. Keeping Lucy was a 2020 Target Book Club pick. Greenwood lives with her family in San Diego and Vermont.

Reviews for The Golden Hour

[suequeblue · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I love just about every novel by Ms. Greenwood. I have a few that I haven't read yet, but I'm working on it. The way she writes is so beautiful, I get sucked in to each book, just reading the first few pages. While I certainly love what some people call "chick lit", this is not a term I would use to describe any of her novels. They nearly all are beautiful, well crafted stories, sometimes with pain, but always honest and believable.
My only critical comment on this book would be that it was too short. I, like others, figured out what had happened to her in her youth, but I really wanted to know that things fell into place for her, once she was honest with herself. Maybe we will see that play out in a future novel.

[auntmarge64 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

First of all, this is NOT a suspense novel. I say this because I thought it would be a psychological suspense thriller. There IS suspense, but this is a book about the life and emotional turmoil of one woman facing the lies she told as a child and trying to find the courage to do what she knows she must. Fine with me: I like both kinds of stories, just saying because I requested it from Netgalley thinking it was more thriller than character study.As a young teenager, Wyn Davies was raped and stabbed in the woods near her home. Her attacker, another 13-year old, was sent to prison. Now, 20 years later, the Innocence Project is trying to get him a new trial, and Wyn knows she's going to have to face up to the fact that the whole story has never been told. The author slowly reveals the complete story, although it's not too hard to figure out long before that. Running from the threats she regularly receives advising her to "keep her part of the bargain" and not tell the truth, Wyn retreats to an isolated island off Maine where she uncovers another mystery: 30-year old rolls of film which tell the story of the house's previous owner, long-ago disappeared. Although Wyn feels bound by a deal she made at the time of the rape, it's unclear why as an adult she wouldn't understand why that deal was not binding and that the police could protect her if she came forward. She's never told anyone: her husband, best friend, or parents. I did enjoy the description of life on an out-of-the-way island as Wyn renovates a long-deserted house sitting on a cliff over the Atlantic. And her child, Avery, is delightful. But the book doesn't work in its entirety, partially because Wyn's adult reactions to the rape seem too much like a plot device to provide a reason for everything else she does. The book also ends rather abruptly, just when the reader is expecting to enjoy a satisfying description of how things turn out rather than just assumptions.

[jenniferlynn-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I really enjoyed this book. The ending left me wanting more and I couldn't believe the story was really over. I would rate the book 3.5, almost 4. I was very excited to get the chance to read The Golden Hour because I LOVED The Forever Bridge.Wyn Davies is a mother of a four year old and has recently separated from her husband over tree paintings. Wyn had a a very painful and traumatic childhood. At thirteen she was raped and almost killed by a classmate. She recently got news that there may be a new trial based on DNA evidence. Wyn still has secrets over what happened really happened in the woods and has promised never to talk about it. Wyn decides to take up her best friends offer and stay at the crumbling clapboard house on an island in Maine.While there, Wyn hopes to finish her tree painting which is suppose to match her wealthy client's throw pillows. Instead Wyn discovers a box of undeveloped film. She takes it upon herself to solve the mystery of the woman in the film. I definitely recommend the book. Like Wyn, I also wanted to find out about the woman who once lived in the house. I also wanted Wyn to speak out about what happened to her. Thanks to NetGalley, Kensington Books and the author, T. Greenwood, for a free electronic ARC of this novel.

[kimkimkim-7 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Thank you NetGalley and Kensington Books for an advance copy.

I was drawn into the story from the first few pages, actually from the "Palette". We enter Wyn Davies life as it is falling apart. We are introduced to the major and minor players in the story in such a way that we know who to embrace immediately, and who to fear and hate. The story, while slow in places, moves forward with a rhythm that matches the lush and beautiful language. The descriptions brought me close to each place and emotion.

After I finished the book I kept thinking about how and why I missed the parallels of the subtext. Why did it take me so long to pick up the threads and weave them together? Definitely my failing but I still wonder about some of the chapter and perhaps that is the beauty of the story.

[kris_anderson-1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

The Golden Hour is a new novel by T. Greenwood. Wyn Davies is a struggling artist is in her early thirties and lives in Queens, New York. Wyn lives in one half of a duplex while her husband, Gus lives on the other side. The pair split recently over a silly disagreement. Their daughter, Avery lives with Wyn during the week and Gus on the weekends. Wyn is an artist who has been busy making commissioned birch tree paintings that go with her client’s rooms. Gus feels that Wyn has sold out (at least she is earning money). Wyn finds out that Robby Rousseau might get a new trial. The Innocence Project has gotten involved in Robby’s case and they are testing the DNA from the case. The DNA was never tested because they had a confession. Wyn has never told anyone the truth about what happened that day twenty years ago in Haven, New Hampshire. When she receives a threatening phone call, it spurs Wyn to flee. She takes her friend, Pilar up on her offer to spend the winter in her home on Bluffs Island in Maine. Avery and Wyn head up to Bluffs Island. It can only be reached by ferry and there is no Wi-Fi service. It sounds perfect to Wyn. In the basement, Wyn discovers a box labeled “Epitaphs and Prophecies”. The box is full of undeveloped film rolls. The rolls are labeled with dates starting with 07/12/76. Wyn is intrigued and sends off two rolls to get developed (a friend develops the rest later). The film belonged to the former owner who disappeared thirty-five years ago. The pictures are unusual and Wyn gets a glimpse of her life. Wyn wants to find out more about this woman and starts seeking answers. Will the answers Wyn seeks help her with her own life? What happened to Wyn twenty years ago? The Golden Hour is an odd novel. It sounded like a good mystery/suspense novel, but the execution was severely lacking. Wyn is a hard character to like. I know she suffered a horrible trauma, and I believe she could benefit from therapy. Her character reminds me of a person who might have a mental health problem. Wyn smokes pot (more than once when children are nearby), drinks, has trouble communicating (especially with her husband), pushes everyone away, prefers to flee than deal with life, jealous of her best friend’s success and lacks some common sense. Wyn goes to a house that has been deserted for thirty-five years with her four-year-old daughter (would you take a child to this house). I would make sure to arrive in daylight so I can what needs to be done. I am sure that the house would be dilapidated and filthy. Wyn has no idea how to turn light a pilot light for the heat and imagines there is a master switch (not on a system that old). She does not bring in the clothes from the car before falling asleep (guess what they need in the middle of the night). Wyn also fails to bring needed cleaning supplies (despite being told about the lack of shops and supplies in the “town”). Wyn seems more concerned about her needs than those of her daughter. In a way, I wish the author had not included a child in the story. I found some inconsistencies regarding the legal case. A thirteen-year-old boy confessed to the crime and then goes to trial. He gets a lengthy sentence and is still in jail twenty years later. Normally, if the perpetrator confesses, there is no trial. It would go to sentencing. Also, why would a juvenile still be in jail after the age of 18 (or at the latest 21). I am curious how he was convicted if Wyn did not testify and the DNA evidence was never tested. The incident that happened to Wyn is slowly revealed over the course of the novel. Most readers will be able to figure it out long before all the information is revealed. I give The Golden Hour 2 out of 5 stars (I did not enjoy it). I found the pace to be slow (good if you wish to go to sleep) and the pictures described are unusual (downright strange and inappropriate). I thought the novel to be dark and the ending disappointing. What happened regarding the prior owner is very upsetting and disturbing. I was just not drawn into this book. I kept hoping it would get better, but it did not. The Golden Hour was not the right novel for me.