Book 17 - 2017
Book 17: The Husband’s Secret by Liane Moriarty - 402 pages
Description from bookdepository.co.uk:
Mother of three and wife of John-Paul, Cecilia discovers an old envelope in the attic. Written in her husband's hand, it says: to be opened only in the event of my death.
Curious, she opens it - and time stops.
John-Paul's letter confesses to a terrible mistake which, if revealed, would wreck their family as well as the lives of others.
Cecilia wants to do the right thing, but right for who?
If she protects her family by staying silent, the truth will worm through her heart. But if she reveals her husband's secret, she will hurt those she loves most . . .
Thoughts:
I loved Moriarty when I first discovered her a few years ago - an Australian writer writing decent, interesting novels that aren’t about the outback, or spend the entire time reminding you you’re in Australia, but still feel familiar for me in the right way - and I read everything she’d written at the time. I promptly forgot about her, and then rediscovered her when Big Little Lies came out. I decided I’d tackle another of her books after reading Big Little Lies. The ending in this one killed me - the idea of the child paying for the sins of the father, the future that was never to be, I almost cried. Cecilia discovers something about her husband she never could have expected, her husband suffers for a mistake barely his fault for most of his adult life, a mother wants revenge and a little girl pays. It’s an excellent novel, made real and honest and funny by Moriarty’s excellent story telling abilities. The story is set around Easter, and the beautiful juxtaposition of resurrection, the autumnal themes that surround that time here in Australia (I’ve seen reviews complain about this, noting that Easter is in Spring…if you’re in the other hemisphere!!!), work beautifully. It’s heartbreaking, but its an excellent book.
17 / 50 books. 34% done!
7764 / 15000 pages. 52% done!
Currently reading:
- Hidden Figures: The Untold Story of the African American Women who helped win the Space Race by Margot Lee Shetterly - 328 pages
- Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future by Ashlee Vance - 434 pages
- Without Remorse by Tom Clancy - 750 pages
And coming up:
- The Second Chronicles of Thomas Covenant: Volume 3: White Gold Wielder by Stephen Donaldson - 500 pages
- The Odyssey by Homer - 324 pages
- The Unfu*kwithable Life: 7 Codes to Embrace Connection & Vulnerability For a Life of Inspiration & Freedom by Amber Hawken - 285 pages
Description from bookdepository.co.uk:
Mother of three and wife of John-Paul, Cecilia discovers an old envelope in the attic. Written in her husband's hand, it says: to be opened only in the event of my death.
Curious, she opens it - and time stops.
John-Paul's letter confesses to a terrible mistake which, if revealed, would wreck their family as well as the lives of others.
Cecilia wants to do the right thing, but right for who?
If she protects her family by staying silent, the truth will worm through her heart. But if she reveals her husband's secret, she will hurt those she loves most . . .
Thoughts:
I loved Moriarty when I first discovered her a few years ago - an Australian writer writing decent, interesting novels that aren’t about the outback, or spend the entire time reminding you you’re in Australia, but still feel familiar for me in the right way - and I read everything she’d written at the time. I promptly forgot about her, and then rediscovered her when Big Little Lies came out. I decided I’d tackle another of her books after reading Big Little Lies. The ending in this one killed me - the idea of the child paying for the sins of the father, the future that was never to be, I almost cried. Cecilia discovers something about her husband she never could have expected, her husband suffers for a mistake barely his fault for most of his adult life, a mother wants revenge and a little girl pays. It’s an excellent novel, made real and honest and funny by Moriarty’s excellent story telling abilities. The story is set around Easter, and the beautiful juxtaposition of resurrection, the autumnal themes that surround that time here in Australia (I’ve seen reviews complain about this, noting that Easter is in Spring…if you’re in the other hemisphere!!!), work beautifully. It’s heartbreaking, but its an excellent book.
17 / 50 books. 34% done!
7764 / 15000 pages. 52% done!
Currently reading:
- Hidden Figures: The Untold Story of the African American Women who helped win the Space Race by Margot Lee Shetterly - 328 pages
- Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future by Ashlee Vance - 434 pages
- Without Remorse by Tom Clancy - 750 pages
And coming up:
- The Second Chronicles of Thomas Covenant: Volume 3: White Gold Wielder by Stephen Donaldson - 500 pages
- The Odyssey by Homer - 324 pages
- The Unfu*kwithable Life: 7 Codes to Embrace Connection & Vulnerability For a Life of Inspiration & Freedom by Amber Hawken - 285 pages