What You Don't Know: A Novel

With a meddling ghost, tangled love triangles, and a family caught in the storm of desire and loss, What You Don’t Know is a sweeping love story set against the vibrant backdrops of Music City and the Bay Area.

Chloe, a brilliant but restless woman, escapes a painful childhood in Florida for a fresh start in the Bay Area, where she falls for another woman. Terrified of her feelings, she buries herself in ambition instead. At 29, she moves to Nashville, where she meets Peter, a music producer grieving the recent loss of his wife, Angie.

But Angie isn’t entirely gone. Her presence lingers, guiding Chloe toward Peter while also helping her twin sister, Rosie, navigate the depths of grief. Rosie resents Chloe at first—until intrigue turns into something far more complicated. After Chloe marries Peter, her growing connection with Rosie sparks a love she can’t ignore, angering Angie’s ghost and threatening to unravel their family.

As tensions rise, an unexpected tragedy—perhaps influenced by Angie herself—shatters their world. But in the wreckage, Chloe discovers a truth she can no longer run from: the courage to finally be herself.

A haunting, heart-wrenching tale of love, identity, and the forces that bind us—even beyond the grave.

About the Author

Beverly Burch is the author of two nonfiction books and four poetry collections, most recently Leave Me a Little Want. Her books have won a John Ciardi Poetry Prize, a Gival Poetry Prize, a Lambda Literary Award and were finalists for the Audre Lorde Award and Housatonic Award. Her short fiction has appeared in many literary journals. She lives in the Bay Area with her wife.

Praise for What You Don't Know

“A dazzling story, containing so much more than the width of its spine. Love is all over the place in this novel, and you don’t know which way it will turn next, and you stay glued to the page to find out. Burch reminds us that life is complex and dynamic and we really don’t know what might happen next.” —Nina Schuyler, award-winning author of Afterword

“Dreamy and poetic, What You Don’t Know chronicles the awakening of two young women to the intertwined forces of grief and desire. Set in soul-freeing San Francisco and music-rich Nashville, this immersive novel deeply explores the hearts of its characters.” —Lucy Jane Bledsoe, award winning author of Tell the Rest

“Beautifully written, haunting novel by poet Beverly Burch. Atmospheric tale of a love that seeps through the life/death barrier. Strongly recommend!” —Joan Steinau Lester, PEN award-winning author of Loving Before A Marriage in Black and White

“What You Don’t Know is an engrossing story of female friendship and its power to transform. I fell in love with Chloe and Rosie and cheered—and worried—for them as they navigated work, marriage, children, and the growing feelings they had for one another. This is a tender story you won't forget.” —Frances Dinkelspiel, award winning author of NYT bestselling Tangled Greed, Murder, Obsession and an Arsonist in the Vineyards of California