Book Review

Book Review: The Husband’s Secret by Liane Moriarty

The Husband’s Secret by Liane Moriarty

Description: Cecilia seems to have a wonderful life, a devoted husband (John-Paul) and great children, until one day she comes across a letter from her husband that is to be open upon his death. Her husband’s letter describes his deepest darkest secret, a secret that affects herself, her husband and the community she lives in.

Tess works alongside her cousin (Felicity) and husband (Will) at a company they founded together. Tess is horrified to find out that while they have not slept together, Felicity and Will are in love. Tess now must decide how to proceed with this huge betrayal.

Rachel, a loving grandmother, cannot seem to live in the present. Rachel is unable to move past the tragedy of her daughter’s murder. Janie was murdered as a teenager and Rachel constantly thinks about what her life would have been like now and of the murderer who got away.

This is a story about secrets, betrayal and guilt.

Review: My friends and I all decided to read this book and get together after to discuss it so this review reflects all of our opinions. We all agreed that it had a slow start and took us about 50 pages before we got into it, once we got about half way we were all trying to make time to read. Initially it is difficult to keep straight who is who since the book is written from different point of views but once you become invested in each character it is easy to remember. The author beautifully weaved the narratives and lives of each character, their connections may not be obvious right from the start but she nicely and intricately connects each person. It was a very interesting and captivating story that led to a great discussion about guilt, secrets and betrayal (we all felt firmly about girl code). Also, the epilogue rocked (how often do you hear that?!). We would definitely recommend this story to others.

Book Discussion:

Would we tell our significant others a huge secret like John-Paul’s?
Would we feel bad about sleeping with the hunky PE teacher? (consensus: hell no)
Is an emotional affair worse than a physical affair?
How does guilt affect each character differently?
Can you ever fully know a person? (another resounding no)
What in the world was up with the Berlin wall references? (answer: too much symbolism)

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