NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • OPRAH’S BOOK CLUB PICK • An astonishing memoir that explores how far we will go to protect ourselves, and the healing made possible when we face our secrets and begin to share our stories

“The Tell encourages us to recognize that sometimes you must understand your own pain to fully experience life’s greatest joys—and Amy’s courage, vulnerability, and insight are a gift to us all.”—Reese Witherspoon, TIME 100 Most Influential People of 2025

“A beautiful account of the journey of courage it takes to face the truth of one’s past.”—Bessel van der Kolk, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Body Keeps the Score



For decades, Amy ran. Through the dirt roads of Amarillo, Texas, where she grew up; to the campus of the University of Virginia, as a student athlete; on the streets of New York, where she built her adult life; through marriage, motherhood, and a thriving career. To outsiders, it all looked, in many ways, perfect. But Amy was running from something—a secret she was keeping not only from her family and friends, but unconsciously from herself. “You’re here, but you’re not here,” her daughter said to her one night. “Where are you, Mom?” So began Amy’s quest to solve a mystery trapped in the deep recesses of her own memory—a journey that would take her into the burgeoning field of psychedelic therapy, to the limits of the judicial system, and ultimately, home to the Texas panhandle, where her story began.

In her search for the truth, to understand and begin to recover from buried childhood trauma, Griffin interrogates the pursuit of perfectionism, control, and maintaining appearances that drives so many women, asking, when, in our path from girlhood to womanhood, did we learn to look outside ourselves for validation? What kind of freedom is possible if we accept the whole story and embrace who we really are? With hope, heart, and relentless honesty, she points a way forward for all of us, revealing the power of radical truth-telling to deepen our connections—with others and ourselves.

Becky’s Review

GUEST REVIEWER: KAREN SHAYNE

Wow. Wow. Wow. Amy Griffin’s The Tell is a powerful excavation of memory, identity, and the quiet unraveling of a life that looks perfect on the outside. Through deeply personal storytelling, Griffin takes us on a journey from small town Texas to the cutting edge of psychedelic therapy, revealing what it means to confront long-buried trauma with courage and clarity. This memoir is both intimate and expansive, asking tough questions about perfectionism, womanhood, and the masks we wear. It’s a stunning reminder that healing begins the moment we stop running and start telling the truth—not just to others, but to ourselves. Again, wow. Read it.

About the Author:

Amy Griffin lives in New York City with her husband, John, and their four children. She is the founder of the investment firm G9 Ventures.

ORDER THE BOOK AT AMAZON.COM

#thetell, #amygriffin, #literaryfiction, #emotionalreads, #bookreview, #mustreadbooks, #fictionobsessed, #slowburnfiction, #readersofinstagram, #bookclubpick, #characterdriven, #beautifulwriting, #bookrecs, #womenwhoread, #moodyfiction, #novelworthy, #smartreads, #fictionfix, #pagebypage, #bookishlove