The Husband’s Secret: Book Review by Dinh.
Summary:
The story pivots on three main characters: Celia, Tess and Rachel.
Celia has what appears to be a perfect life. She has a successful Tupperware business, a great husband and three wonderful kids. When she finds a letter in the attic from her husband John-Paul to her to be opened when he dies, she does not know what can of worms she is about to open.
Tess finds out that her husband Will, and her best friend and cousin Felicity, have declared that they are in love. Tess takes her little boy moves to Sydney to live with her mother. Tess reconnects with an old boyfriend Connor Whitby while she is enrolling her son at St. Angela’s primary school. This primary school is also where Celia’s daughter goes to and where Tess meets Celia.
Rachel is St. Angela’s school secretary. She is still grieving over her daughter Janie who died over thirty years ago. Rachel believes that Connor Whitby, the PE teacher was the killer of her daughter and that he has gotten away with murder.
Review:
I am so glad that I picked up The Husband’s Secret to read.
I liked it!
I had enjoyed Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty and liked what the author offered so I was not surprised that I enjoyed The Husband’s Secret.
What did I like?
Written in the same vein as her Big Little Lies, Moriarty did not disappoint in the way she delivered her story.
Page Turner
I enjoyed the ease of reading the book. It was not only an easy to read book but also a page turner.
Since it was not a heavy thought provoking book, the 394 pages of the hard cover book was a relatively quick read.
I liked the way the book got me hooked right away with the letter that Celia found.
” For my wife, Celia Fitzpatrick. To be opened only in the event of my death.”
Of course, what’s inside the letter is “the husband’s secret” as the title of the book suggest. I liked the way the book got me thinking about what could possibly be in the letter.
The surprise was not what I had thought! No, not an affair as was my first instinct.
The Plot
The story line was cleverly done and Moriarty weaved the pieces of the story together in a manner that I have grown to expect from her.
It’s not a complicated plot. In fact, the story line is straight forward and the book is written in a way that it catches the reader’s attention.
The Characters
Moriarty pays attention to little details of mundane life which makes the story so much more interesting.
Celia, Tess and Rachel, the main characters are detailed in a way that is insightful. I feel like I know someone just like that.
The fact that she picks up on people’s stereotype behavior for me is the best part. I don’t think it’s a cliche. There are nuances in her characters that make them life like.
The characters were well thought out and written. Celia, is a type A person but when she opens the letter from her husband John-Paul, her life is turned upside down.
How Celia responds to the news is comical and sad. Moriarty is good at pinpointing the different thought processes each character has and it’s one of the aspect of her books that I really enjoy.
Rachel’s character is also interesting and developed well. It’s from an older woman’s perspective and one that has gone through loss of a daughter.
Moriarty’s attention to Rachel’s grief and how she deals with it is one that I can also understand. Moriarty captures the emotional state of Rachel really well.
So what didn’t I like?
The only thing I didn’t like about the book was the epilogue.
It was a case of ‘What if…’
If so and so didn’t happen then this might have happened.
I know Moriarty was trying to tie in the Pandora box theme (Pandora’s box was mentioned at the beginning of the book) but I felt it wasn’t necessary. Leave fate alone!
Did the epilogue ruin the book for me?
No, I enjoyed the rest of the book so it wasn’t a deal breaker. The epilogue was just unwanted fat I thought.
My final thoughts
I enjoyed The Husband’s Secret because it was a spot of light reading and a page turner. The story line is straight forward and the main characters are interesting and well developed.
Get a copy of My Husband’s Secret here. Or listen to the audio book for free with an Audible trial.
See other reviews of author Liane Moriarty.
Hi Dinh,
I haven’t read the husband’s secret book yet but I can honestly say that this site is one of the best sites to look for books to read. I am pretty sure that it will get recognized in no time. Thanks you so much for providing us with such informative book reviews. All the best to you Dinh. 🙂
Hi Peter!
Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
I am glad you are finding our book reviews helpful when choosing a book to read or not. That is our goal- to give you our honest opinion so you can make and informed decision.
Thanks for stopping by!
I am a fan of Liane Moriarty’s books as well. I picked up Big Little Lies at the airport before a transcontinental flight and was so glad I did – it was a page-turner and I couldn’t put it down. I’m currently reading Ken Follet’s third book in his century trilogy – Edge of Eternity – but I’ll have to pick this one up!
Hi Teresa!
I like Moriarty’s style of writing and I am actually going to be reviewing another book of hers soon. Truly Madly Guilty has been sitting on my desk and it’s next to be read. I haven’t check any reviews or even read the jacket cover so it’ll be a nice surprise when I read it. I try not to have too much expectation attached to a book so I can like it for what it is.
Arlene is a big Ken Follet fan. It’s one of her favorite authors. I haven’t read any of his works but have heard all good things from people I know so I will have to make time to read one of his books. Is there a particular book you would recommend me to start on?
So many books and so little time! 🙂
Thanks for stopping by!
Yes, absolutely! The first Ken Follett book that I read was ‘The Pillars of the Earth’. It’s set in 12th century England and tells the story of the building of a Cathedral in a fictional town. It’s a sweeping drama of good vs. evil and I couldn’t stop reading it. I was sad when it ended. The book was quite a departure for Ken Follett, as prior to ‘The Pillars of the Earth’, he had written primarily about international suspense and intrigue. I understand his ‘Eye of the Needle’ is very good too, but I haven’t read it yet. Another one I really liked by him is called ‘Place Called Freedom’. Enjoy! I look forward to your next review of Liane Moriarty. 🙂
Hi Teresa!
I have heard great things about The Pillars of the Earth from several people so this is definitely one I will pick up soon!
Thanks for the recommendations.
I look forward to hearing your views on other books. 🙂
You seem more of a closed ending kind of person like me. I am so happy you could enjoy this one as well! I love when I read another book by an author and it’s just as good, even though it is different from the other! I can’t wait to try one of this author’s books myself 😉
Hi Olivia!
I do like Moriarty’s books so far.
It never ceases to surprise me how some authors can continuously write good books!
Thanks for stopping by!
I have never heard of this book, but I love to read books like this. I think I would love reading this book. I felt it already when you talked about it at the start of this post. You mention the teacher, Connor Whitby, who might have killed Rachels daughter. I felt an urge to find out if he was the one that really did that. Or if he didn’t do it what other ways may he might impact on the story.
Can I ask if the book is romantic?
Thanks for sharing.
Tove
Hi Tove!
The Husband’s secret is not a romantic book although it does have a marriage that has broken down and the wife starts a short lived relationship with someone. The book is centered on the 3 main characters whose lives end up being tied together in the story line.
I think you will enjoy this light reading book.
Do let me know what you think when you get a chance to read it. 🙂
This looks like an intriguing read. I have been on the hunt for my next read and I think I found it 🙂 Thank you for the review!
Hi Rachel!
I love the premise of the book. The characters are well done and it’s a nice easy read. I’m sure you’ll enjoy it.
Do let me know what you think of The Husband’s Secret when you read it. I’ll be curious to see if you liked it. 🙂
Thanks for stopping by!
I didn’t know this. Apparently I have a few Liane Moriarty in my house! My cousin must have given them to me. Ha ha. I was hoping to gleam whether Celia opened the letter or now, but I guess that would be a spoiler. I don’t think I could hold out, Dinh. =) Now you have me curious. If not an affair, then perhaps a child? Now I’ll be wondering senselessly.
Hi Lonna!
You’re too funny. You must have a ton of books to have forgotten about the ones you have. So nice for you! I bet you have a nice big shelves of books. 🙂
I am glad you were gifted Liane Moriarty’s books. I think you’ll enjoy her books. Don’t spoil the reading by looking and no it’s not a child!
Thanks for stopping by!
This looks like a really interesting book to read. I like any story line that is not too heavy to deal with because reading is another way of relaxation for me. And thanks for giving some reviews about how the author described the characters. I would like to get one to read.
Hi Jessica!
Thanks for your comments.
I really enjoy reading Liane Moriarty’s works. So far I have enjoyed the ease of the books. Her books are very light to read and some times she has some heavy themes in them. The heavy themes are there but she has a great way of making them feel not so heavy.
I like that Moriarty’s characters are so well done. It’s always good to have characters that you can relate to.
I hope you enjoy the book and do let us know your thoughts when you are done! 🙂