I had no idea what I was picking up when I grabbed this book. I thought maybe a thriller. It is anything but.

The Ryer Avenue Story tells of six children who conspire in the commission of one horrific act. They did not plan it, yet in some ways it was foretold. They agree to keep quiet about it forever, and most of them do just that.

Of the six, Willie was the outcast. He was a scheming, angry young person that nobody trusted. How he became that person was fairly obvious but nobody excused him for it. Even in taking part in this one act together, he was not considered "one of them", and he deeply resented it.

The children grew up, going different ways, and several of them made distinguished careers. At any time their lives could be ruined or seriously set back by a revelation of the secret they held together. Most of them made peace with it and found a way to move on. But it simmered under them all.

We get to know all of the characters well. The characters are well developed and interesting, and clearly different from each other. The author takes her time bringing us along, making the book one of those that allows us to live in their worlds. It is absorbing just following them through their lives, keeping an eye on that secret. Ultimately it surfaces in a way that brings them together, for better or worse.

I found the relations among the six to reveal some ethical complications, and to me the sorting through them was the most interesting part of the book. ( )