"Everything She Didn't Say" by Jane Kirkpatrick

Everything She Didn’t Say (Sept. 4, 2018) by Jane Kirkpatrick.*

In 1877, Carrie Adell “Dell” Strahorn is a newlywed. With a doctor father, she was born into an affluent family. At 25 years old, it would be expected that she’d be a hostess within her own home, accepting calling cards and putting down roots in that new home. Instead, she’ll spend the next 25 years essentially helping to shape the American West with her writer/railroad-promoter/investor husband Robert Strahorn (27 years old). Unbeknownst to her, she’ll become the “Mother of the West” and “Queen of the Pioneers.” But Dell would’ve been thrilled just to be called mother to her own children (she never had children of her own, though she so wanted them). In this fictional tale, the author reads between the lines of the real life character’s memoir “Fifteen Thousand Miles by Stage” to interpret what Dell might’ve been thinking in many situations.

            “Everything She Didn’t Say” is a historical documentary in written form. It is enlightening and intriguing, as the author represents Dell as a woman who shares the rough and tumble times and not as the “happy-lane,” optimistic, pleasant and subordinate wife she often comes across as throughout the story and likely from her husband’s perspective. Dell is quite the actress, plastering on positivity for all outward appearances, but being constantly an adventurer and, initially, quieting her creativity is sapping her inner happiness. At least, that is the impression I got less than 150 pages in. I am struggling with this story. Clearly, I know 1877 was a way different time for women than 2018. Still, I can’t help but be bothered by the almost constant deference to Robert. I will eventually finish this book, but not by this posting. I have skimmed some ahead and came across lines of Robert’s when he states, “We can’t have everything we want. Desires aren’t a right. And when they conflict, well … [o]ne has to give in.” Expect Dell is always the one having to give in. Again, I know it’s a different time than now, even with the women’s suffrage movement gaining speed, but it still bothers me. It’s always Robert’s way, what Robert wants, what Robert says. And THAT is why I am struggling with this story; Robert frustrates me so, which means the author has done a very good job of characterizing him.

* Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Revell Books. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions are expressly my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”