Everything We Thought Was True by Lisa Montanaro
A secret that forever shapes a family…
New York, 1983: When an argument erupts during dinner and Teresa Antinori, a typically docile wife and mother, hurls plates filled with pasta e piselli at her husband, Frank—the future of their Italian American family is changed forever. Frank has found a safe harbor with Teresa, but longs to truly be himself, while Teresa struggles with the startling discovery that her husband is gay and living a lie.
Los Angeles 2015: Thirty-two years later, their daughter Lena is still picking up the pieces. When her father calls with unexpected news, it throws her right back into her least favorite place—the past. Lena is torn between supporting her father and her enduring loyalty to her mother, who once demanded secrecy at all costs.
Told in alternating points of view—Frank and Teresa in the past, and Lena in the present—Everything We Thought Was True is the story of a family trying to reconcile their past, understand the secret at the heart of the family’s rupture, and embrace the future. Brimming with love and loss, heartache and hope, this multigenerational family saga weaves a tapestry of identity, healing, and forgiveness.