Book Review: "Not One of Us" By Debbie Herbert

 “My philosophy was that if someone wanted you to know anything personal, they’d tell you themselves.”

“My hands shook as I buttered him a piece of cornbread, scooped pintos into a bowl, and then carried it out to the living room. I set it all down on the coffee table. “Tea,” Zach said. For my brother, today was just another day, same as any other. I returned to the kitchen, poured a glass, and took it to him. Mimi remained stoically seated in her chair, back stiff and unyielding. I sat across from her. “You say you did what you had to,” I began, resuming the confrontation. “What’s that supposed to mean?” “I had a ton of medical bills from the doctors treating your mom. I could never hope to pay them on a house cleaner’s salary.” “You could have declared bankruptcy.” “And then I had to raise you and Zach,” she continued, as though she hadn’t heard me. “If Buddy hadn’t paid our bills for a time, I couldn’t have done it. The state would have taken custody of you both and put you in foster care.” “You’d have found a way to make it work,” I insisted. If there was only one thing left I knew for sure about my grandmother, it was that she was a survivor. A woman who did what she believed necessary for herself and her family. “You can’t justify covering up all these murders. When I remember all the times you welcomed Buddy into our house, knowing what he did.” I stopped and swallowed hard, blinking back tears. “All the times he ate dinner with us. When he came to my high school graduation and gave me a set of diamond earrings.” I shuddered. “The man was a monster, and you helped him. That makes you a monster too.” A single tear rolled unchecked down Mimi’s paper-thin cheek. I reached across the table and laid my hands over her frail, thin ones. The same hands that had cooked and cleaned for me and my brother when we had no one else. How could I not still love her? No, she wasn’t a monster with no feelings or conscience. Mimi hadn’t asked for forgiveness, but she needed to hear the words anyway. “I forgive you because of all you did for Mom. For Zach.” I drew a shaky breath. “And for me.” Mimi”
― Debbie Herbert, Not One of Us

This wasn't something I could get into unfortunately but perhaps you'll enjoy this one.
Thank you to Debbie Herbert, the pub, Netgalley, and Amazon Kindle