Ones We Keep

Ones We Keep is the first novel by Bobbie Huff. Olivia and Harry Somerville take their three young sons to a quiet resort on a Vermont lake for a summer break. One afternoon, Olivia returns alone from a hike and a stranger tells her that one of her boys has drowned, but cannot say which one. In that moment she makes a frantic choice that reshapes her family.

The novel follows four members of this family in the years after the tragedy as they weigh the choices they must make to find their way back to one another. Olivia's central question is whether she can keep believing that none of her sons has died, and whether she can go on living in a world where all three boys are still alive by holding reality at arm's length.

Huff's story explores loss, recovery, and the bonds of love, and how a family learns to face grief and hold on to hope. It will suit book clubs interested in a mother's devotion, the staying power of family, and the lengths people go to protect themselves from heartache. Readers who enjoy Elizabeth Strout and Diane Chamberlain may find it appealing.