The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty

The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The Husband's Secret focuses on three women and their families. The women are connected through St. Angelus elementary: Cecilia's daughter, Polly, attends there, Rachel is the school secretary, and Tess is transferring her son, Liam, to that same catholic school. These women each have an issue in their lives that is troubling them. Tess is going through marital problems, Rachel's son has told her he's moving halfway across the world and taking her only grandchild with him, and Cecilia has discovered a letter from her husband that is to be read only after his death.

The men in the novel are on the outskirts of the lives of the three main women. Cecilia seems to have a solid marriage, although, as the book goes on, she learns she doesn't know John-Paul as well as she thought she did. Rachel has spent years mourning a daughter, Janie, who was murdered when she was in high school. Her grief has kept her at a distance from her son, his fiance, and their child. And Tess learns something about her family that takes her by surprise and rocks her marriage. She keeps her husband, Will, out of her life as much as she can. Tess meets an ex boyfriend at St. Angelus and rekindles her relationship with him. Connor, the ex, is the most well written character among the men, but still not as emotionally clear as any of the three main women.

What makes this book a wonderful thriller, is the way Liane Moriarty reveals facts to some of the characters without revealing them to all. Because we readers know the secrets, we turn the pages in horror as characters act in ignorance. Another technique of Moriarty's is to mix the mundane with the alarming. Between school registration, an Easter hat parade, and planning for a pirate party, Moriarty gives us murder, betrayal, and a steady stream of lies. Once this novel gets going, it's hard to put down.

Steve Lindahl – author of Motherless Soul and White Horse Regressions



View all my reviews

Miami Morning by Mary Clark

Miami Morning by Mary  Clark
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Miami Morning by Mary Clark is the story of an ordinary person, a teacher, Leila Payson, who finds a purpose that defines her life. The novel is exceptional in a number of areas, one of which is the beautiful way Clark describes Miami from the context of the issues on the narrator's mind. Here's an excerpt that is a good example of what I mean:

She trotted beside lacy borders of waves washing ashore, intoxicated by the sharp scent of iodine and mineral aroma of fresh-churned sand. The rolling waves made her think of the invisible waves that traveled between human beings and while the ocean waves were strong and substantial, and still carried an insistent power as they neared the shore, they were nothing compared to the magnificent intricacies and complexity of human interaction and communication. And we are only just beginning to learn how that works, Leila reminded herself.

When Leila started her career, she had her struggles. But she took advice that she needed and she grew from experience. By the time the story starts, she is considered one of the best teachers in her school by the critics who matter most, her students. One of those students, Raoul, begins to struggle in her class and Leila's life changes. Raoul is losing his hearing due to a genetic predisposition in his family. She supports him by trying to discover ways he can lead a normal life and by fighting the people who only want him to accept his limitations. Leila discovers through Raoul and through other friends that she can bring a sense of satisfaction to her life by helping the disabled find and maintain the value of their own lives.

As Leila discovers her calling, we get to meet her friends, to watch her weave her way through complicated romantic relationships, and to listen to her dealing with the frustrations in her career. But it is her discovery of purpose that brings magic to this novel. Leila is an ordinary person who learns to do extraordinary things and in the process our own understanding of issues concerning disabled people matures and grows.

Steve Lindahl – author of Motherless Soul and White Horse Regressions


View all my reviews

My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante

My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

 Despite My Brilliant Friend's prologue (which isn't resolved in this volume), the novel is not a book with a plot that captivates and I believe that's why it has received some fairly harsh reader reviews. But it has also received high levels of praise for its fully detailed characters. What My Brilliant Friend offers is an elaborate coming of age story about two young women who grow up in a working class neighborhood near Naples, Italy. Elena Greco, the narrator of the book, spends the vast majority of her words telling the readers about Lina Cerullo, her best friend. Readers get to know Elena through her thoughts and Lina through Elena's opinions of her friend. Sometimes Elena's views are a little off and we're surprised when Lina's dialogue reveals the truth. One example has to do with the novel's title. I won't say how.

The girls, who are in primary school when the book begins, are both extremely bright and very competitive as well as true confidants for each other, leading to a relationship that is a mixture of admiration and jealousy.

What I found most interesting was the part their environment played in their lives. Their culture was sexist and violent, but their families responded to that culture in different ways. For this reason, Elena had more opportunities than Lina and much of the story is about Lina's reaction to this situation.

My Brilliant Friend deals with problems all young woman face, with family, ambition, and sexuality, but also with issues unique to women living in a culture that doesn't respect them. In that sense, it reminds me of books such as The Blood of Flowers and Snow Flower and the Secret Fan. It's a perfect novel for someone who wants a book to make them think, but not for someone looking to get lost in a plot.

Steve Lindahl – author of Motherless Soul and White Horse Regressions


View all my reviews