Whistler
A quiet, character-driven literary novel about a middle-aged woman reconnecting with her former stepfather after 44 years apart, slowly uncovering the family secrets and a childhood trauma that separated them. Content is gentle by adult-fiction standards, but grief, a car accident, family deception, and a long-suppressed gay relationship are all handled with emotional directness.
Chapters to know about
A car slides off an icy mountain road in the dark; an adult's ankle is crushed and he is trapped for the night while a nine-year-old must eventually go for help alone through deep snow. Frightening rather than gory.
Young Daphne endures a cold, frightening night trapped in a crashed vehicle and must seek help alone at dawn; she is not physically harmed severely, and her bravery is the framing.
Eddie discloses his lifelong secret love for his married male best friend, including the pact they made to live double lives; the infidelity and hidden relationship are described in emotional rather than graphic terms.