The Husband’s Secret by Liane Moriarty
A letter that’s not intended to be read lies at the centre of The Husband’s Secret.
My darling Cecilia,
If you’re reading this, then I’ve died…
Consider that your husband sent you a letter to be read after his passing. Consider as well that the letter contains his darkest, most hidden information—something that has the power to ruin not just the life you two have created together, but also the lives of others. Now picture the scenario where you discover that letter while your husband is still very much alive.
The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty
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The focus of this work, which is set in Australia, is on three different families (and more specifically – the women who are predominant in each of the three families). The plot centres on one of the women from one of the three households, who comes across a note her late husband had left for her to read. The twist in this story is that the wife unintentionally discovers the letter before her husband’s passing. Her life, as well as the lives of the other two families involved, are described in the novel, along with how the discovery of this letter affects everyone in the book. It is a tale of how the past and present collide, of the effects of decisions and inaction, and of self-discovery.
The author expertly intertwines past and present as well as three different people/families (and several primary secondary persons), meshing plot points without making it seem like the reader is being forced to learn something because it is necessary for the plot to advance—rather, it is just the natural flow of a well-told story. The three distinct groups of lives are fully realized in their own right, and the threads connecting them—however flimsy—start to gain strength and weight. This helps to support the carefully crafted and thought-provoking narrative, which is brimming with emotion and raw grit, humour, fragility, intellect, and many other delightful aspects.
They eventually form together in both predictable and unexpected ways since the flimsy threads holding them together aren’t as fragile as one may originally think. The novel depicts the complete spectrum of human emotion, including comedy, tragedy, self-discovery journeys, love, and hate. The stories are both heartbreaking and uplifting at the same time.
