Book Review: The Husband's Secret

So I added yet another book to this week's list of reads, Liane Moriarty's "The Husband's Secret". I was browsing Amazon for a new book the other day, and for some reason this one happened to capture my eye, and so I took a chance and delved head first into it. Liane Moriarty did a splendid job on this novel, with it's rich and powerful story line, lightened up with properly interspersed humor and wit. When I first picked up the book, I was expecting a light "chick lit" style novel with a floozy background story and entertaining but pointless characters, so it pleased me greatly that Moriarty was able to throw me so off balance and completely re-evaluate my first impressions of her book.

"The Husband's Secret" details the lives of three middle-aged, seemingly ordinary Australian women who grapple with their suburban lives. Cecilia Fitzpatrick is the perfectly perfect wife and mother, effortlessly balancing her three children and all their activities, her handsome husband, and her successful Tupperware business. Tess O'Leary is the overworked small business owner who's husband and cousin-turned-best-friend have fallen in love with each other, completely destroying her perfect world. Rachel Crowley is the guilt-ridden mother of a teenage daughter who was killed over two decades ago, but who's memory she can't seem to let go. All three women end up interacting with one another through the school Cecilia and Tess's children go to and the one at which Rachel works, and secrets quickly start to unfold. A letter that Cecilia's husband wrote one drunken night after the birth of their first child, meant to be read only after his death, is found and read, and completely changes everyone's lives. Moriarty keeps us interested and invested in her tale until the very last page as she explores a myriad of issues, including the vicious cycle of karma, grief over the death of a loved one, the shift in a family's relationships after a tragedy, infidelity, trust, and the questioning of one's morals when your family is at stake,

"Can good people do very, very bad things, and what, exactly, are we responsible for, and for how long?"

What I loved most about this novel is how much it made you think about what you would do if you were in a certain character's place. The moral and ethical issues Moriarty's characters face are fascinating and truly thought-provoking. I couldn't imagine having to make some of the decisions these women make throughout the story, and yet I could imagine myself in any one of their places someday. In the beginning, the story unfolds slowly and rather boringly, as we are given the backgrounds of each of the characters and the slow progression of their lives. It isn't until a third or so into the novel that the story really picks up, so I would encourage any reader to not give up easily and put the novel down after reading just the beginning: it becomes far more captivating and engrossing as you read on. The beginning is just to build a solid background and set the stage for the events that are about to unfold. I won't say much more as I would hate to give something away so I'll leave you with this: anyone looking for a wonderful summer read should definitely get their hands on "The Husband's Secret" as soon as possible!