They had accepted the simple explanations their parents offered when they were younger, but their world was growing more complicated.

Now they knew that grown-ups could make mistakes on purpose as well as by accident.

Eli saw Naomi take the folder of old letters from a drawer one Saturday.

He wanted to know why she kept so much paper.

Naomi sat beside him and explained that certain documents helped a family remember what really happened, even when memories became confused.

‘Is it a secret?’ Theo asked from the doorway.