Preview of Stones from the River Summary:

The power of secrets is a prevalent theme in Stones from the River. Trudi is a secret stealer—she barters for and uncovers people's secrets, which she then weaves into stories and spreads around the town. Some secrets are good secrets, like the identity of the "Unknown Benefactor"; even Trudi does not know who he is. Some secrets are known to all but not spoken about out of respect for the family, such as the drinking problems of Frau Weiler's husband. Trudi's introduction to the power of secrets comes at a very early age when her unbalanced mother unburdens her feelings of guilt by sharing her secret sin. It is at her mother's knee, literally, that she learns that secrets are "unspoken stories that lay beneath people's skins."

Trudi develops a knack for getting people to reveal their secrets to her, and by collecting the stories of...