The Husband's Secret

A smart, addictive treat! It's not just "The Husband's Secret" we are pining for, it's all the secret's Liane Moriarty dangles in front of us that we want to discover! And it's the fabulous way Liane brings what seems to be three separate stories to a crashing halt together! One of my reading group members chose this book for us to read this month. I assumed that it was going to be a chick lit book, and that the premise of Cecelia Fitzpatrick finding a letter addressed to her, written by her husband and to be read upon his death sounded interesting... especially since her husband was "very much alive" when she found it. It seemed that the story would revolve around the question of whether Cecelia should "open the letter or not" now that she's found it and the results of that decision. Ah, yes, the letter... What deep dark secrets does that hold? But that "secret" is just the beginning! Yes, there is the letter and the "moral" decision, and that delicious dark secret, but the story takes such a turn from there that I absolutely could not put this book down. I was sucked into this story from say page 20 on... EVERYone has secrets! There is a murder, a mystery, jealousy, infidelity, and secrets, secrets, secrets! I don't want to spoil all the fun, so let me just give you a little bit of the layout of the story... There are three "stories" here. First, Cecelia Fitzpatrick, the "perfect" wife, right down to her arrangement of Tupperware in the pantry, who married the wonderful John-Paul, from one of the wealthiest families in town and they have 3 wonderful children. Second, there is Tess, Will and Felicity. Tess and Will are married with a little boy and Felicity is Tess's cousin and closet friend. And lastly, there's Rachel, Grandmother of Jacob, and the mother of Rob who is married to Lauren. All three families have ties to the same town, all three families have an interesting story, and all three of these families are going to experience life altering changes because of one another. And just when you think that the story has reached its' climax, you'll be saying to yourself, "OMG!" Liane Moriarty's writing is kind of light and airy, like you'd find in a good "Chick Lit" book. (I haven't really heard much about 'Chick lit' these days either, does it still exist?!). BUT, just when you think that the story will be a "light" read, the story teasing you along to a place you THINK it's going, Liane pulls the rug right from under you, and she doesn't stop there. This "light" read turns into such a great read with twists and turns that you wouldn't expect. A story much more complex then you'd think at its humble beginning. Definitely a book I would recommend to almost anyone who enjoys their fiction with a mystery and a bit of Tupperware mixed in! I will now be reading more of Liane Moriarty! This book was her debut novel, which became a #1 hit in the UK back in 2013. She now has 6 more books under her belt, one of which, Truly Madly Guilty, was published this year. Just make sure you put The Husband's Secret on your TBR list!!! 5 stars from this Chick! *P.S. Something to keep in mind when reading The Husband's Secret... there are a lot of characters that Liane throws at you right from the start. With out any "formal" introductions, early chapters seem to jump right into the middle of a story that you don't know anything about, or the people that are involved. At first, I found it confusing and was trying to sort out who these people were. Eventually you'll see that there are three separate families and it will not seem confusing any longer. You'll be able to follow these "separate" stories seamlessly. Keep a list of characters if you need to at first, but don't let this "complication" deter you from the story. READ IT!

I'd rate this 4.5 stars. Wow, I may be a little late to the party on this book, but I'm really glad I read it. This is the perfect example of a thought-provoking beach read--it grips you immediately, keeps you totally fascinated, and the plot is almost completely believable, but you won't feel embarrassed reading it, because it's well-written. Cecilia Fitzpatrick is the very definition of an overachieving wife and mother. Her house is spotless and organized to the hilt, she's the president of the Parents & Friends association at her daughters' school, she has a successful business on the side, and is the first to participate, greet, and help, in every situation. With three (reasonably) well-behaved daughters, and a (somewhat) perfect marriage to handsome and successful John-Paul, she certainly appears to have it all. Then one morning she finds a envelope addressed in her husband's hand, to her, which says it should only be opened in the event of his death. And as she ponders what could be in this letter, she starts realizing that things with John-Paul haven't been as solid as usual. Her daughters mention some odd behavior, and then there's the fact that they haven't had sex in quite some time. Should she read the letter or adhere to his wishes and put it away? Meanwhile, Tess has just found out that her husband and her cousin--her co-workers and two closest friends in the world--have fallen in love. She flees her Melbourne home with their young son, and retreats to her mother's house in Sydney to figure her life out. This solution is complicated by the reappearance of an old boyfriend and the fact that her husband and cousin won't stop calling her to explain. Rachel has been living her life mourning her daughter, Janie, who was mysteriously murdered when she was younger. Some 20 years after Janie's death, she still holds a grudge against who she thinks the killer was. The only thing that brightens her days is her time with her young grandson, but Rachel's son has just mentioned that he is moving his family to New York. Cecilia, Tess, and Rachel know each other (or know of each other) peripherally, but their lives will suddenly connect in ways they have never expected. They will discover truths they never knew, and find themselves making sacrifices they never considered. The Husband's Secret shows that you never know everything you think you do about those you love, and how secrets almost always have a way of hurting others. I thought this was a completely compelling read from start to finish, and I flew through the book very quickly. Sure, it's a little melodramatic, but not in a bad way--the main characters have some pretty major issues to deal with. Liane Moriarty is a great storyteller, and even if certain strands of the plot are predictable, they don't take away from the book's appeal. I really enjoyed this.

Short Simple Book Summary: This book is based in Australia and focuses on three separate families (and more specifically – the women who are predominant in each of three families). The story is based upon one of the women (of the 3 families) who discovers a letter her husband left for her to open upon his death. The curve ball here is the wife finds the letter, on accident, prior to her husband’s death. The story describes her life (as well as the other 2 families involved) and how the finding of this letter evolves and effects everyone in the book. It is a story of the past meeting with the present, the repercussions of decisions and indecision and of self discovery. What I liked (LOVED) about this book: In a few words – almost everything. To be more specific; I loved the writing style which was clean, concise, well edited and well structured. I enjoyed the characterization. The author has a very thorough knowledge and understanding of her creations. Some make think this is a simple minded and ill suited point to make, however I’ve read quite a few books where it felt like the author didn’t know their subjects and simply didn’t know/write enough about them to make them interesting, hateful, or evoke any other emotion because they were simply sketched as opposed to completely formed. These characters feel like real people who you may know due to the careful and attentive description the author immerses the readers in. We know their inner most thoughts, their ticks, what they enjoy, dislike, what holds them together, and ultimately, what can tear them apart. The author weaves past and present together along with three separate people/families (and several primary secondary persons) expertly, meshing plot points but not in a fashion where it feels as if there is an information nugget being force fed because it is required for story progression…but rather because it is just the flow of a well told story. We see the three separate group of lives fully developed in their own right and then the strands that tie them, however tenuous, together begin to gather strength and weight which holds up a well crafted and thought provoking story overflowing with emotional and raw grittiness, humor, fragility, intellect and many other delightful facets. Eventually those tenuous strands linking them together aren’t as delicate as one may initially perceive and begin to form together in both expected and unexpected ways. The book shows comedy and tragedy, paths of self discovery, love and hate and the full range of human emotion. The stories are heart rending and devastating and also redeeming. There is so much to this book that I didn’t expect and I truly can’t praise it enough. I tore through this and didn’t want to put it down. I experienced some extremely strong emotional reactions in many places. Emotions reserved for true stories. Rarely has a work of fiction made me FEEL as this book did. I would suggest it to anyone. I truly dreaded the ending even as I anticipated learning the outcome(s). I will certainly read this book again. So very enjoyable. I never heard of this author prior to this book but if her other works are half as good as this she will have a devoted new reader. I can’t pretend that I didn’t figure out some elements of what was coming before having it revealed but it didn’t detract from the reading experience for me at all. The ebb and flow is so perfect and the details so rich and full I never felt like I missed anything, was cheated, or that feeling you sometimes get where you, “AH HA!”, at the author when you see the direction of the story. It was perfectly mapped out and there was still much to learn and know even when the larger plot point was picked up on early on in the tale. This isn’t a thriller or a mystery, it’s a beautiful tragic story about life, relationships, love and discovering or rediscovering (reclaiming?) yourself. I highly suggest this book. It was an amazing reading experience and I never once scanned while reading the book, which is huge for me. I was captivated the entire time and feel (this will sound very cheesy) better for having read this book. It would have been a shame to pass on this gem. It is for sure one of the best books I’ve read in the last several years and I read on average about 4 new books a week. Excellent book even if some of the ending I couldn’t imagine occurring as it did! (But if you stop after reading the book and play those scenarios and thoughts out the book has you continuing the story after the final page and THAT, in my opinion, is one of the signs of a great story! What I didn’t like: my husband interrupted several times while reading this book for trivial matters such as sleep and food consumption. I hated to waste the time doing these mundane requirements when I could have been devouring this wonderful work. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Please take a chance on this one if you are on the fence. 5 enthusiastic – whole hearted - stars!

SPOILER ALERT!!! Having read and loved Big Little Lies's (I know it's considered chick lit but I like it!) I was excited about a Liane Moriarty book. Sure enough, we meet three women all facing major issues. Cecilia is married to John Paul and has just discovered an old envelope he left her to open on his death. The thing is, he's not dead and she struggles with whether or not to open it (spoiler alert: she does) Tess has just discovered her cousin/best friend is having an affair (unconsummated) with her (Tess's) husband, and Rachel is dealing with the long ago murder of her daughter. As with BLL, we got lots of authentic-feeling, engaging character voice, and the points of view feel genuine (although not so much the characters' choices.) But. This is not BLL and the book left me with one big, "meh." It could have been, but was not, any kind of "mystery" as we figure out whodunit pretty quick. It was as though either the story started too soon (there is a LOT of backstory) or the build up (so, so much) didn't lead to a satisfying climax. The author brings her very interesting characters to really engaging, thought-provoking moments, then...resolves evevything and ends things just when they get interesting. ****************** SPOILER!!!************************************ SPOILER******************************************SPOILER what would you do if you discovered a loved one had killed someone? How much "price" should they pay? Could you stay married to them? Would you take a partner right back if they had an unconsumated affair? What kind of relationship, if any, would you have with the one they "cheated" with? Would you feel justified in having an affair of your own? How do children factor in? What would you do if you discovered who killed your child? Could you/would you, forgive? What would it take? All these are really interesting questions, and ones which are raised in this book, but then...dismissed and resolved very quickly. It would have been a terrific book if the author had let her characters actually explore these issues.Maybe it was just too much for one book--any of those questions on their own could quite well take up a book! In this book though, it felt like Moriarty just got tired. as a nitpick, I very much disagreed with at least one of "epilogue" points; most families of murder victims definitely want to know what happened (so do the police!) so would not be okay with a "limited" autopsy. Anyway, certainly readable. Just wish it had been more.

The Husband’s Secret in the novel of that name by Liane Moriarty is not what you think – at least it is not any of the secret hidden things I thought of. But John-Paul Fitzpatrick, the oldest of five hunky Fitzpatrick brothers did not want his wife Cecelia to find out about this secret until after he was dead. All of the characters in this book are tied together by a Catholic school, St. Angela’s in Sydney, Australia. Some went to this school as children. Some are grown up and have children who now attend this school. Some of the people are staff at this school. Will and Tess are in a marriage that has seemed smooth but has suddenly become rocky due to a secret that Will and Tess’s cousin Felicity are keeping. This situation is complicated by the fact that Will, Tess and Felicity own an online company together and because Will and Tess have a son, Liam. Tess takes Liam out of school in Melbourne and goes home to her mom in Sydney where she enrolls him in St. Angela’s. Rachel, a secretary at the school, who seems to keep St. Angela’s running, lost her daughter Janie when her daughter was in her early teens. Her son Rob and daughter-in-law Lauren are just getting ready to take her grandson, her only solace, Jacob to NYC. Someone strangled Janie all those years ago and Rachel thinks she knows who. Liane Moriarity asks some of the same questions we found in Herman Koch’s books. What would you do to protect your family? How far would you go? She also deals with the equilibrium-destroying role that secrets can play in our lives. She does not have the sophistication or the edge of the Dutch author, but that doesn’t mean this isn’t a good book. The author just takes a somewhat lighter approach to some very serious life events. She gives us an omnipotent narrator who explains why many of the life shattering events that cause great guilt and pain for our characters were not necessarily ever accurately perceived. We, the readers, are the only ones who are allowed to know it all. I like some of the techniques Moriarty uses in this book which are not literary techniques we see a lot. At the beginning of the story we are with Cecelia and her three daughters who happen to be listening to The Biggest Loser on TV. Later we learn that Tess’s cousin Felicity has always been overweight until she went on The Biggest Loser and lost a lot of weight. Liane Moriarty’s world is a small one, where everyone is even closer than that famous “six degrees of separation”. The technique she uses in the beginning of the story reminds me of the mirrors that are set up to offer an infinite image of the same scene which keeps receding and getting smaller, a scene within a scene within a scene. We also have Janie, the murdered teen giving us her view of what happened in her life that fateful last day. I sometimes love that modern authors go beyond the wall that exists between life and death to allow the dead to speak. Speaking of walls we also have Cecelia’s daughter Esther whose current passion is to learn all she can about the Berlin Wall. She and her mother get caught up in the stories of those who try to escape, some successfully, some not, and there we have that question again – what would you be willing to do for your family. She goes one step further than Herman Koch and asks how would you feel if your choice had unexpected repercussions? There is plenty we haven’t discussed just in case you think I gave away the whole story. What is the connection to Pandora? Who is the Little Spider Man? What is a pavlova? How is Tupperware a thing? Does our universe exact retribution? At how many points could this story have changed it people hadn’t kept secrets? I say that this novel seems light but is well worth reading and plumbs some depths in spite of the fact that the characters seem like our friends and neighbors. Lots of people agree that this is a very good book, enough people, in fact, to make it a best seller.

A friend recommend that I read The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty. She suggested that it might be a similar suspense/mystery as my release The Clock Strikes Midnight. Well. . . I would hope that my book is as good a read as Moriarty's. I found her writing fast, clean and well-thought out. She not only created engaging characters but she also built a story that kept the reader wanting to read more. The story begins in the mind of Cecilia Fitzpatrick a happily married, extremely well-organized mom who sells Tupperware on the side. BTW, she very successfully sells Tupperware as she very successfully does everything. Cecilia unearths a letter from her husband. On the envelope he'd written her name and the words, "do not read until my death." Being such a good girl, she obeys his wishes for as long as she can (much longer than most of us would have!). From this character we move to Tess who has just learned from her long-time friend and cousin (who recently lost a boatload of weight and now looks beautiful) and her husband that they have been secretly in love. This new information throws Tess's life into a tailspin. She takes her young son, Liam, off to Sydney (oh, I forgot to mention the story is set in Australia) to escape her husband and BFF's escapades with the excuse to take care of her mother. The third important character is Rachel. We learn that Rachel's daughter, Janie, was tragically murdered twenty-eight years ago, and Rachel still suffers from this loss. She thinks of her daughter constantly, wondering what kind of life she would be leading now. She also obsesses over who might have killed her daughter. The murderer was never apprehended. The author weaves these three main characters together in a compelling story. Interestingly, it is not the husband's secret that keeps the reader spellbound so much as what happens after the secret is revealed. In the preface to the book Moriarty refers to Pandora's box. The Husband's Secret is a modern version of Pandora's box. What do we do once the secrets are revealed? That's the underlying theme. The other fascinating theme in the book is the metaphor created around the Berlin Wall. Cecilia's daughter is quite interested in the history of the Berlin Wall, both its construction and its destruction. At first I wondered what that had to do with moving the story along. Soon, I recognized the author's point--we all hide behind a wall of secrets. Everyone in the story--not just the husband in question--had secrets and we all hide behind them until the wall comes tumbling down. Quite clever. Oh, and did I mention great writing? Here are some examples: "Who knew she was cab able of speaking with such hardness? Each word sunder like a block of concrete." "He was very broad-chested and athletic looking and he rode a motorbike and listened with his eyes." "She'd die with the clamp of grief still wrapped around her chest." "He kept talking. It was endless. . . like that urban myth about an exotic worm that lived in your body, and the only cure was to starve yourself and then place a hot dinner in front of your mouth and wait for the worm to smell the food and slowly uncoil itself, sliding its way up your throat." Yes, this is a delicious read from beginning to end--worthy of many more than 5 stars.

I think Liane Moriarty has written a masterpiece destined to become a classic. I got sucked into this story almost immediately and did not want to put the book down. Rachel is the about-to-be-abandoned grandma whose heart is bitter over the murder of her daughter 28 years earlier. Cecilia is the Tupperware queen and all-round perfect wife, homemaker, and mother you'd otherwise hate were she not so likeable despite her perfectionism; she practically elevates it to an art form--until her husband's secret topples her from grace. And Tess is the aggrieved wife whose self-diagnosed "social anxiety disorder" (established from a magazine article) allows her to participate in a lifelong, joined-at-the-hip-connection to her obese cousin that spirals to the point where--except for the sex--these two women practically share the same husband. All three of these women's worlds are rocked when unexpected forces beyond their control compel them to unearth the premise operating behind their tidy little selves. Set in Sydney and Melbourne, Australia, to my American hard-wiring, the reversed seasons (Easter kicks off the autumn season there) provide an appropriate bizarro backdrop to these three quirky-yet-relatable main characters and their unusual dilemmas. The Husband's Secret isn't without its (minor) flaws. For one thing, I found the drawn-out buildup to the infamous letter annoying and frustrating. I felt it could have come a bit sooner in the story without sacrificing suspense. I will confess to relieving my irritation by peeking ahead two chapters at the letter, with no harm done. I must say the bombshell it delivered lived up to the tension the author had imparted, even if (for me) it wasn't quite worth the lengthy wait. I also had trouble in the beginning keeping this complex cast of extended characters and their relationships to one another straight. I actually had to draw a diagram! Though The Husband's Secret is a quick read, this is not due to "fluff factor" so much as its engrossing themes. This is a story of substance that explores serious questions about repentance, vengeance, and justice; how much of ourselves we ought to sacrifice in commitment to spouse and children; the effect our partners' actions have on our emotional well-being; and the weight we should or shouldn't give to our often fleeting "feelings." It is a story riddled with keen observations like, "Marriage [is] a form of insanity; love hovering permanently on the edge of aggravation." Any currently or formerly married person can attest to that! The Husband's Secret skillfully lays bare a broad spectrum of human emotion and yet is highly entertaining--the hallmark of a solid and enduring work. I wholeheartedly recommend it.

I loved all of Liane Moriarty's previous books, and was therefore very excited to find out that her latest novel was available for download from Amazon. It quickly solved my dilemma of the dreadfully difficult decision of which book on my looooooong tbr list to read next (maybe if I was as organised as Cecilia I would have a better system than the eeny-meeny-miny-mo method I usually employ, coupled with much nail-biting and doubt over my final decision). And The Husband's Secret did not disappoint - Moriarty's gift of making her characters almost real flesh-and-blood people, coupled with the offer of an unexpected roster day off from work, made for an intense read-a-thon which saw me finishing this book in a few hours of sheer reading bliss. From the premise of the novel to the very last detail of its execution The Husband's Secret had me totally in its grip and still causes some soul searching even now after the last page has been turned. What would you do if you found a letter written to you by your husband years ago, marked "to be opened in the event of my death"? Cecilia of course wants to do the right thing - she is the queen of proper decision-making (no eeny-meeny-miny-mo for her), and decides to ask her husband John-Paul about it first. His reaction is so baffling that for once Cecilia does give in to temptation - and opens the letter. Its contents are so startling, so mind-blowing that her life, and that of their three daughters, can never be the same again. No matter of organising, smoothing-over or patching-up will ever fix this mess, and for the first time in her life Cecilia finds herself totally out of her depth. Told in the third-person narrative, the book's chapters are written from the perspective of three different people, who are seemingly unconnected in the beginning of the novel. Tess, part owner and operator of a small advertising agency in Melbourne and mother of a six-year old son, has little idea of how her life is about to change when her husband and her cousin take her aside in the middle of her favourite TV show to confess that they have fallen in love. Feeling betrayed and heartbroken she takes her son and flees to Sydney under the guise of helping her mother cope after breaking her ankle. It is there that she runs into an ex-boyfriend she last saw when she was nineteen, and who is still very attracted to her. Rachel, who after twenty-eight years is still mourning the tragic death of her teenage daughter Janie, is having to face losing her beloved grandson when her son and daughter-in-law announce their planned move to New York. This decision, coupled with the imminent anniversary of Janie's death, brings back renewed feelings of loss and grief for Rachel, who contemplates a lonely life on her own in Sydney. Through Cecilia and the startling revelation in John-Paul's letter these three women's lives become intertwined in ways none of them could have imagined. I loved the premise of the book, the question of "what if" which seems to have become a popular theme in modern literature. Perhaps because every one of us at some stage in our lives will ask this question: "What if I had acted differently? How would my life have changed?" Moriarty answers this existential question perfectly in her epilogue, bringing together all the threads of the story and presenting a very satisfying finale - but enough said, there will be no spoilers from me. Inspired by real-life death-bed confessions, Moriarty's novel raises a lot of moral and ethical questions of what constitutes "the right thing". I may have been quite black-and-white in my answer prior to reading this novel, but vacillated constantly between different answers as several angles were explored. I may be a terrible decision maker, but in the face of such controversy, even the super organised Cecilia never stood a chance (of course she had a lot more to lose as well). And just when you may have thought that "the right thing" is pretty clear, the author challenges it with some startling revelations at the very end of the book. Amazing. What I also love about Moriarty's writing is the authenticity of her characters. All three main protagonists are the women-next-door, the mothers you see at the school gates, the members of your bookclub or the people standing in front of you in the supermarket queue. It brings the events unfolding even closer to home, thinking that this could happen to anyone, at any time. I had such vivid pictures in my mind of all characters involved that their personalities, their families and their homes seemed like I had seen them in real life. Perhaps the only thing I missed in this novel was the tongue-in-cheek humour found in "What Alice Forgot", which still makes it my favourite Moriarty book to-date. Apart from secrets kept and secrets exposed, marriage and motherhood feature as strongly in The Husband's Secret as in previous novels. As a mother, decisions no longer involve just a single person, but have grave outcomes on the people you love most. "You're a mother. You'd do anything for your children, just like I'd do anything for mine. " Would I, or wouldn't I? If it involved my own children, yes, I probably would. Regardless of moral and ethical dilemmas, like a lioness protecting her cub I wouldn't hesitate to defend my young. And this is where it becomes tricky of course. Enough said. I loved this book. I fully recommend it. Go and buy it and see for yourself. If you enjoyed Moriarty's previous novels, you will not be disappointed.