WHAT HAPPENED TO HANNAH
As a teenager, Hannah Benson ran away from home in order to save herself. Now, twenty years later, the past comes calling and delivers life-changing news: her mother and sister have passed away, leaving Hannah the guardian of her fifteen-year-old niece.
Returning home to bitter memories and devastating secrets, Hannah must overcome her painful past to pave a future with her niece, the last best chance at a family for both of them. She begins to create a new, happier life with her niece and rekindles a relationship with Grady Steadman, one of the few people she’s ever called a friend.
As a teenager, Hannah Benson ran away from home in order to save herself. Now, twenty years later, the past comes calling and delivers life-changing news: her mother and sister have passed away, leaving Hannah the guardian of her fifteen-year-old niece.
Returning home to bitter memories and devastating secrets, Hannah must overcome her painful past to pave a future with her niece, the last best chance at a family for both of them. She begins to create a new, happier life with her niece and rekindles a relationship with Grady Steadman, one of the few people she’s ever called a friend.
But she can’t forget what she cannot forgive, or lay to rest those ghosts that will not die. Will love and trust—and the truth—give her the strength to stand her ground and fight for what she deserves?
- William Morrow
- Paperback
- February 2012
- 352 Pages
- 9780062084781
Buy the Book
$14.99
About Mary Kay McComas
Mary Kay McComas started her writing career twenty-five years ago. To date she’s written twenty-one short contemporary romances and five novellas; What Happened to Hannah is her second novel. She was born in Spokane, Washington, and now lives in a small town in the beautiful Shenandoah Valley of Virginia with her husband, three dogs, a cat, and her four children nearby.
Praise
Hannah Benson is a memorable character of uncommon strength. From the unthinkable horror of the past to the glimmering possibility of love in the present, What Happened to Hannah is a stirring novel of family and redemption.”—Kristina Riggle, author of Keepsake
Blending poignancy with humor, crafting characters as real and recognizable as your next-door neighbor, Mary Kay McComas weaves stories that brighten the heart.”—Nora Roberts
“I love Mary Kay McComas. Her books are honest and real, and transport you to a place that feels like home.”—Patricia Gaffney
It is hard not to be moved by the tender love story that emerges from the depths of violence in this haunting and touching novel. You will never forget What Happened To Hannah.”—Jessica Anya Blau
Discussion Questions
How do the children impact Hannah? Do you think they help Hannah deal with her own childhood? Which one was your favorite?
Do you think Hannah feels love and resentment toward her mother in equal parts? Or one more than the other? Are her emotions understandable? As an adult, after years of therapy and an educated awareness of the dynamics of her family, do you feel her reactions to her present situation appropriate?
What was your favorite scene and why?
Were you able to find any symbolism in the story? For example: Hannah purging her memories and emotions while purging her childhood home.
Hannah clearly grew and changed during the story.What about Grady? What adjustments did he make in his thinking? How did Hannah’s return to Clearfield alter him?
Love isn’t something to be wasted or ignored. When Hannah and Anna finally moved back to Baltimore, Hannah was testy, short tempered, and missing Grady. Do you think she might have eventually conquered her feelings and moved back to Clearfield to be with him if he hadn’t come to her?
There’s a little storyteller in everyone. If you could rewrite any part of Hannah’s story what would it be? And how would you tell it?