Rating: 4/5
When her preschool daughter Poppy comes home from a weekend at her dad’s house with a very disturbing drawing and some new regressive behaviors, Tess is concerned that Poppy has witnessed something traumatic while away. When, as the days pass, Poppy continues to exhibit unusual and concerning behavior, Tess becomes convinced that something has indeed happened, and is determined to discover what it is so that she can protect her daughter.
Tess is sure that Poppy is trying to communicate with her, to warn her, so she sets out to decipher the messages that Poppy is sending her way, questioning the integrity of essentially everyone around the two of them, and in the process of discovering the truth, nearly convincing everyone, even herself that she just might be going crazy.
As the plot is unraveled, and the mystery of Poppy’s behavior is discovered, the writers also follow Tess’ discovery and understanding of the recent past and the emotional and behavioral patterns in her own relationships, which leads to her recognition of past manipulations and, once she has seen them, her determination to not be vulnerable to them again. Her character grows in self-knowledge and independence as she solves the mysteries before her and vows to always protect her daughter at any cost.
The Unheard, is an attention-grabbing, twisting, turning ride from the outset. Never sure what to believe or which character to identify with, the reader is swept up in the mind of Tess, as she struggles to identify what the real dangers are and who, if anyone she can trust.
