Childhood memories stick to our ribs like honey and remain ingrained in our soul no matter our age and Claire Sokol is no exception. Through a turn of events that involved, among other things, the tragic drowning of her older brother, a new found friend in the image of a cousin and the painful ringside seat for her mother's slow mental disappearing act, she has collected more than her fair share of memories and not all pleasant ones. Subconsciously, the abandonment she experienced with the loss of her brother and the fading of her mother, left a protective covering on Claire's heart that refused to fully trust again. The fear of being left is too great and her brave facade too fragile to risk breaking. She is estranged from those whose very image opens wounds but at the news of her grandmother's passing Claire is forced to return to her childhood home and open her memory box -- or is it a Pandora's box. But as the story states -- everyone has a box - that object that contains subtle links to the past. It might be an old-fashioned steamer trunk, a heart-shaped box or just a manilla envelope - but we all have one and what's inside varies with the owner. And maybe it's not even the contents that are important -- but more how they got there, who they belonged to, why they were saved instead of discarded or why they were put in the box in the first place. The Things We Save is a story of humility and removing blinders, an eye-opening journey of forgiveness and seeking the truth. It is a quest to bring light to the forefront and leave the darkness behind. The author did a beautiful job of creating characters whose feelings and emotions felt as raw and touchable as a pile of sawdust. The scent of fresh cut wood permeates through the pages as you experience the ghosts from the past being whittled away to expose the core of Claire's soul. A masterfully written story from which no reader can walk away unscathed from its journey. The Things We Save was a lengthy story but, in this reader's opinion, worth every step.