“To be opened only in the event of my death” the envelope read.
After thoroughly enjoying Big Little Lies by Moriarty (see my blog review of August), Kate lent me this book, an earlier novel penned by the same author. Would I enjoy it as much as Big Little Lies was the question.
So would you open the letter? That is the moral dilemma facing Cecilia Fitzpatrick who finds this letter written by her husband, who is very much alive. Cecilia is a middle class Tupperware consultant and mother of three girls. Just like most mothers I know, she wears many hats and does the daily juggle trying to keep all balls in the air. Her world comes crashing down when she decides to read the letter. I’m not giving anything away by divulging that fact, as without the reading of the letter there would be no secret to discover.
Unlike Big Little Lies, where we find out who the perpetrator of the crime is only at the end of the book, in The Husband’s Secret we discover the nature of the secret at the beginning of the story. This makes Moriarty’s story more compelling as I found myself pondering throughout, what I would do if I found myself in Cecilia’s shoes. Just like Big Little Lies, Moriarty brings to life a number of interesting characters, whose lives intertwine such that they will be affected if the secret is revealed. I enjoyed Moriarty’s development of her characters. She makes the characters believable such that they could me one of your own inner circle of friends.
One of the particular highlights for me was the book’s epilogue where we discover how all of the characters lives may have been different if different roads were traveled and secrets kept or discovered. “None of us ever know all the possible courses our lives could have, and maybe should have, taken. It’s probably just as well. Some secrets are meant to stay secret forever. Just ask Pandora.”
As a wise man I know, my own husband, says, “life is all about the choices you make.” I’m glad I chose to read this book and have already started on another of Moriarty’s novels, The Last Anniversary. Let’s hope my husband is not keeping a secret as shocking as Cecilia’s!
