The Husband's Secret

Short Simple Book Summary: This book is based in Australia and focuses on three separate families (and more specifically – the women who are predominant in each of three families). The story is based upon one of the women (of the 3 families) who discovers a letter her husband left for her to open upon his death. The curve ball here is the wife finds the letter, on accident, prior to her husband’s death. The story describes her life (as well as the other 2 families involved) and how the finding of this letter evolves and effects everyone in the book. It is a story of the past meeting with the present, the repercussions of decisions and indecision and of self discovery.What I liked (LOVED) about this book: In a few words – almost everything. To be more specific; I loved the writing style which was clean, concise, well edited and well structured. I enjoyed the characterization. The author has a very thorough knowledge and understanding of her creations. Some make think this is a simple minded and ill suited point to make, however I’ve read quite a few books where it felt like the author didn’t know their subjects and simply didn’t know/write enough about them to make them interesting, hateful, or evoke any other emotion because they were simply sketched as opposed to completely formed. These characters feel like real people who you may know due to the careful and attentive description the author immerses the readers in. We know their inner most thoughts, their ticks, what they enjoy, dislike, what holds them together, and ultimately, what can tear them apart.The author weaves past and present together along with three separate people/families (and several primary secondary persons) expertly, meshing plot points but not in a fashion where it feels as if there is an information nugget being force fed because it is required for story progression…but rather because it is just the flow of a well told story.We see the three separate group of lives fully developed in their own right and then the strands that tie them, however tenuous, together begin to gather strength and weight which holds up a well crafted and thought provoking story overflowing with emotional and raw grittiness, humor, fragility, intellect and many other delightful facets. Eventually those tenuous strands linking them together aren’t as delicate as one may initially perceive and begin to form together in both expected and unexpected ways.The book shows comedy and tragedy, paths of self discovery, love and hate and the full range of human emotion. The stories are heart rending and devastating and also redeeming. There is so much to this book that I didn’t expect and I truly can’t praise it enough. I tore through this and didn’t want to put it down. I experienced some extremely strong emotional reactions in many places. Emotions reserved for true stories. Rarely has a work of fiction made me FEEL as this book did. I would suggest it to anyone. I truly dreaded the ending even as I anticipated learning the outcome(s). I will certainly read this book again. So very enjoyable.I never heard of this author prior to this book but if her other works are half as good as this she will have a devoted new reader.I can’t pretend that I didn’t figure out some elements of what was coming before having it revealed but it didn’t detract from the reading experience for me at all. The ebb and flow is so perfect and the details so rich and full I never felt like I missed anything, was cheated, or that feeling you sometimes get where you, “AH HA!”, at the author when you see the direction of the story. It was perfectly mapped out and there was still much to learn and know even when the larger plot point was picked up on early on in the tale. This isn’t a thriller or a mystery, it’s a beautiful tragic story about life, relationships, love and discovering or rediscovering (reclaiming?) yourself.I highly suggest this book. It was an amazing reading experience and I never once scanned while reading the book, which is huge for me. I was captivated the entire time and feel (this will sound very cheesy) better for having read this book. It would have been a shame to pass on this gem. It is for sure one of the best books I’ve read in the last several years and I read on average about 4 new books a week.Excellent book even if some of the ending I couldn’t imagine occurring as it did! (But if you stop after reading the book and play those scenarios and thoughts out the book has you continuing the story after the final page and THAT, in my opinion, is one of the signs of a great story!What I didn’t like: my husband interrupted several times while reading this book for trivial matters such as sleep and food consumption. I hated to waste the time doing these mundane requirements when I could have been devouring this wonderful work.I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Please take a chance on this one if you are on the fence.5 enthusiastic – whole hearted - stars!

Liane Moriarty has evolved as a writer over time, and when she wrote "What Alice Forgot" and "The Hypnotist's Love Story," I was sure something clicked for her because they were much better than the previous ones. (I LOVED those books!) I gave both of them five stars because they hooked me from page one, the editing was superb, the storyline tight (no rambling), and the pacing was excellent. Although I didn't give "The Husband's Secret" five stars, I would definitely recommend it. Moriarty has a deep understanding of people's inner thoughts and feelings, and her character development was great. Once I got past a certain point in the book, I couldn't put it down. If I were just rating that factor alone, I would have given it five stars.There were a few reasons, however, that I couldn't. First, the hook wasn't as strong as her previous novels. To her credit, though, I know she's an excellent writer, so I had faith she would pull through later (she did!). Yes, we know at the start that the wife finds a sealed letter, but I didn't quite get the feel that this letter would be all-consuming and life-changing for so many of the characters. It would have helped if she let us know that right from the beginning, but instead she took the approach that it could be anything, and maybe even something insignificant.Unlike in her two previous novels, Moriarty introduces multiple characters right up front, which I found confusing. When authors do this, we know they will somehow all come together, so my "criticism" may have more to do with my own frustration with the technique. It requires a certain degree of reader memory and patience, which I don't have. I preferred the more linear plot of her previous two books.The main issues with this book really occurred early, but were later resolved. For example, Moriarty seemed to struggle with point of view, with a number of "violations" that made me wonder who was thinking what. She would start a chapter inside the thoughts and feelings of one character, then shift randomly into another character's head for a sentence or two. I suspect she didn't have this problem in her previous two books because there were far fewer characters, or she had a different editor.In addition to point of view issues, there are a few other problems an editor normally picks up. Spelling and typos aside (there were only about five), there was a chapter I kept going back to because it completely threw me off. It was from the point of view of the daughter who died at seventeen, and it sounded like she was committing suicide. I am not giving anything away here by saying that she was not suicidal. I never could figure out why the author included that chapter, unless she was trying to mislead us intentionally. It's also possible I misunderstood why the girl took a pill in the first place (because I'm not familiar with pill colors?), but regardless, it didn't work. The book would have been a lot better if she'd merely thrown that chapter out.All the glitches aside, I have to say that this book is definitely worth reading. I am picky, and I was spoiled by her previous two novels, but I would still highly recommend it.

Bloody exceptional...what a read and how beautifully and neatly tied and linked up together.Unbelievably fluid, layered in a complex web but simple and enjoyable to read.

Una historia entretenida, la forma en la que está redactado té adentra a la vida de cada personaje. Muy recomendable.

Ok, esse livro é diferente de tudo o que já li. Eu diria que é um suspense que foca nas relações dos personagens, que vai colocando varia dúvidas na cabeça do leitor e o faz criar diversas teorias durante a leitura.Um livro muito bem escrito e estruturado, de um modo que faz ser impossível parar de ler até se ter todas as respostas.

Un guión bien escrito que te atrapa desde la primera página. La compré sin saber bien de que iba y fue un gusto leerlo.

it's an easy to read book. i enjoyed the storyline and the "mystery" or "mysteries" i should say! i recommend it! however, don't do like me ie trying to get a character chart showing every characters and the links between them, because the only one i found online revealed the "secret". it did not affect my reading a lot and i was still able to enjoy the book.