The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarity | Book Review

Oh WOW ya'll....

This book....

There are so many THOUGHTS and FEELINGS in my head and heart right now because of this book.  I don't even know where to start but you must know that you definitely need to set aside a little time to read this book.  This book isn't easy, but it's mind-blowing.  It's good right from the start, but once you reach the middle you'll most certainly not be able to put it down and do things like cook dinner for your own non-secretive husband.

The front cover of the book sums it up nicely:  "The trouble with the truth is that it can change everything...."  So true!  (See what I did there?)  Just a little warning:  this book does not necessarily make the moral argument that you should always tell the truth.  In fact, maybe if a few secrets had stayed secret some lives would be different.  Also, the blurb from Emily Giffin:  "Spellbinding."  Yup.  I was spellbound!  I finished it last night.  I kept looking at the clock and thinking I should go cook dinner for my hubby but then I'd think "well, one more page won't hurt..." and then it was a pretty late dinner.  :/

This book is told from four different points of view of four women.  (Oh, an aside:  Liane Moriarity is Australian, so the book is set in Australia.  That's pretty interesting and unique to an American like me.  You don't see a ton of Australian literature over here.)  Back to the three points of view.  This really builds the suspense because you, the reader, get to know some information before other characters find out.  Also, for the first bit of the book you might be a little lost (I was) as to how the different storylines fit together but just trust me (and more importantly, trust Liane) that you will get it and it will be so emotionally intense at the end.  There should be a page inserted near the middle that says "Stop.  Go feed your family and do your laundry and make a cup of coffee and cancel appointments because once you turn the page you will be useless until you finish this book."

The four main characters of the book (yes, a book can have four main characters if it wants to.  The book is 394 pages long; that's plenty of time to develop four characters) and why I love them:

(They are all ladies, but I would totally hand this book to a guy, the right kind of guy, because it's not 100% chick lit.)

(These are listed in order of appearance, not in order of favorites of Marie.)

1. Cecilia Fitzpatrick.  Cecilia is "That Mom" who has it all together all the time.  She always looks great and she makes a good income while making sure that all three of her daughters always look great.  She has apps and calendars to keep  track of everyone's schedules.  Her husband is a doting father and a good husband.  They have fun family outings.  The daughters take various classes and sports after school.  Everyone is golden.  (Her husband has a secret.)

2. Tess Curtis.  Tess runs an advertising firm with her husband and her cousin.  She is very shy and socially a little awkward, but she's immensely successful at her job and she's an attentive, loving mom to her little boy.  She grew up in the same town where Cecilia and her family live, but she lives in Melbourne now.  She & her husband don't have the most exciting life, but it's good, sometimes great, and they're all happy.  "All" includes her cousin, the one who is also in on the business.  She's single and is with Tess, Will, and Liam a lot in the evenings and on weekends.  One big happy family.  (Her husband has a secret.)

3. Rachel Crowley.  Rachel is Janie's mother.  She's also Rob's mother, and he's married to Lauren and has given Rachel one of her greatest joys in life:  her grandson, Jacob.  She loves working part-time at the school that Cecilia's children attend and watching Jacob the other part-time.  She misses her husband, who passed away a few years before, but she's ok.  Unfortunately, her son and daughter-in-law will be moving to NY for two years, but she can come visit.  She's near retirement anyway.  (Her daughter died.)

4. Janie Crowley.  Janie's chapters are told in the present tense, but they take place in 1984, many years before the "present tense" of the other characters in the book.  Her's is a tragic story of misplaced love and teenage bad decisions... and, sadly, death.

So what is the husband's secret?  Really, which husband are we even talking about?  The Husband's Secret is woven together so masterfully... it's beautiful.  Gorgeous.  Delicious.  I'm adding the rest of Liane Moriarty's books to my to-read list.