Book review : The Husband’s Secret / Het geheim van mijn man
written by Liane Moriarty, published by A.W. Bruna Uitgevers
genre novel, fiction, 397 pages
This summer I felt like reading an uncomplicated novel, just to enjoy a nice story, fun & easy. Although my first impression was that this book might be a bit cheesy, having read the recap on the back of the cover, I couldn’t wait and read the book from front to back within the next 24 hours. This novel turns out to be a pageturner that totally gets into your system and won’t leave you for a very long time.
The story in short
Imagine finding an envelope with your name on it, containing a letter written by your husband but to be read after his death. A letter about his deepest and darkest secret. The only problem; your husband hasn’t died yet and is actually still very much alive…
Would you open the envelope and read the letter, or would you wait untill the time’s right?
Cecilia Fitzpatrick, mother of three beautiful daughters, is facing this dilemma. Even moments before stumbling across the letter, she secretly wishes for a bit of distraction from her perfectly happy and organized life. Not knowing her wish will be fulfilled so unexpectedly. Not knowing there’s a letter that can destroy the life she and her husband build completely.
‘The Husband’s Secret’ is a story about the things we know and even more about the things that we don’t know. A story about love, deception and how to live with the consequences of our actions. Heartbreaking and absolutely fascinating.
Why you should read this book
As mentioned above I read this novel literally within a day and I think that really says it all. It’s a novel you just can’t put aside; first you want to find out what secret is to be found in the letter and then you can’t wait for what will happen next. What will Cecilia do? What is the right thing to do? Is there a right thing to do?
Also the short epilogue in which a number of what if-situations are being described, adds another level to the story. It shows how things could have worked out totally different. It shows how life can be defined in one split second. How a single moment can change the course of many lives.
