The Tension of a Story That Includes Words We Cannot Say Out Loud

Claire Keegan's novel, "K'Haul," is about a man who withholds the truth from his fiancee. The tension builds for at least half of the story before we get any kind of inkling why this day is so bad. Writer: How did she get away with this? Because the character knows from the beginning what day it is but he never tells us.