The Husband's Secret, by Liane Moriarty

Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Goodreads
Release date: July 30, 2013

At the heart of The Husband’s Secret is a letter that’s not meant to be read

My darling Cecilia, if you’re reading this, then I’ve died...

Imagine that your husband wrote you a letter, to be opened after his death. Imagine, too, that the letter contains his deepest, darkest secret—something with the potential to destroy not just the life you built together, but the lives of others as well. Imagine, then, that you stumble across that letter while your husband is still very much alive...

Cecilia Fitzpatrick has achieved it all—she’s an incredibly successful businesswoman, a pillar of her small community, and a devoted wife and mother. Her life is as orderly and spotless as her home. But that letter is about to change everything, and not just for her: Rachel and Tess barely know Cecilia—or each other—but they too are about to feel the earth-shattering repercussions of her husband’s secret.




I was first drawn to this book by its cover: it's a physical incarnation of what happens when you discover something that changes your life and your world falls apart.  The image itself is beautifully poetic.

I'm not usually a fan of women's fiction—and I don't particularly like Emily Giffin, so her quote wasn't really a ringing endorsement—but I'm really glad that I took a chance and read this novel.  Liane Moriarty is a brilliant writer and I'm kicking myself for not having read her works before.  I even won a copy of The Hypnotist's Love Story a couple of years ago; it's still sitting on my bookshelf, unread.

The Husband's Secret is more than just chick-lit.  It's full of drama and intrigue and I didn't want to put it down!  Moriarty merges the stories of the three individual primary characters into a whole; it's a fascinating journey from start to finish.  What is the truth?  As we find out, it's not necessarily an easy answer.  On the way, lives are shaken up, boundaries are tested, and firmly-held beliefs are forced aside.

Highly recommended!

I received a copy of this book from Edelweiss in exchange for my honest review.