SuitabookThe secret history of us
Jessi Kirby
- Reading
- Read alongside the child if the accident or memory loss feels intense, pausing to separate what Olivia remembers from what others tell her. Afterward, discuss identity and relationships without requiring a single interpretation.
- Themes
- Identity beyond memory: Olivia has lost memories of several formative years and tries to work out whether her former choices still define her. The story explores identity as something Olivia must reconsider rather than simply recover.
- Protection and truth: Olivia’s family and friends provide information about her past but are reluctant to explain some details of the rescue and her life. The book presents care and control as potentially overlapping, inviting questions about who gets to shape someone’s story.
- Relationships after change: Olivia no longer recognises her boyfriend and discovers that friendships and romantic feelings may not fit the life others describe. Relationships are treated as changing connections rather than guaranteed continuations of the past.
- Worth knowing
- A parent may wish to discuss the accident and hospital recovery beforehand, then check in around Olivia’s distress, memory loss and uncertainty about close relationships. The story also includes a rescue involving CPR and broken ribs.