Raised in the Delta by her grandmother, Parris McKay has the voice of an angel and the promise of a bright, loving future with the man she adores. But everything Parris believes about her life is rocked to the core when she discovers that Emma, the mother she believed dead, is very much alive.<P>Compelled to discover the roots of this decades-long deception, Parris goes in search of her mother in France, but the meeting only opens old wounds for them both. Hurt and disillusioned, Parris finds solace in two new friends, Leslie and Celeste. Both have difficult relationships with their own mothers, and both, like Parris, are coming to terms with a legacy of long-buried secrets. And as Emma returns to the States, spurring unexpected revelations, the bond that Parris, Leslie and Celeste forge will sustain them on a journey from heartbreak to healing.<P>Compelling, candid and wise, <I>What Mother Never Told Me</i> is an unforgettable story about the power of our pasts to define us&mdash;and sometimes to hold us back. It is a novel about abiding love and hidden truths, about family bonds that may be tested but never truly broken, about the lies that tear us apart&mdash;and the friendships that can make us whole again.