The Husband's Secret

I love everything Liane Moriarty writes. This one was wonderful. A wife's marriage is destroyed by her best friend, a woman's family is destroyed by a husband's secret, a mother's life is destroyed by her daughter's death. Ethical questions abound, and you feel yourself trapped in decisions you might have made yourself. Fully fleshed, believable characters, each dealing with angst and moral dilemmas. I couldn't fathom how the book would end, and the ending was perfect. An epilogue gives an even more satisfying conclusion. Great book.

When a wife finds a letter addressed to her from her husband stating that it can only be opened once he is dead because it contains his darkest secret, she decides to open it while he is alive.

What ensues is a journey through deception, shocking truths, and the fallout of the secret being exposed.

With the secret revealed, finishing the novel leaves you wondering if you can truly trust anyone, even the ones closest to you. 

I absolutely loved this book because it taught me one big thing: always pay attention to the red flags. In the beginning of The Husband’s Secret a key piece of evidence is introduced and from there working backwards, forwards, and somehow sideways, the story explains how the item was created, and what it means for everyone involved. This mystery novel helped me put together things that didn’t quite add up in my personal life, and strangely enough, I discovered a secret about my own husband at the time which later led to a divorce. Crazy how life works.

What I enjoyed the most about The Husband’s Secret was the way that Liane Moriarty managed to entwine three seemingly unrelated characters into a compelling story, underpinned by a unique secret that you don’t see coming. While the suspense and more serious themes of the story were intense at times, I loved the humourous observations of everyday life and the wonderfully drawn characters I could relate to so well. It taught me to never assume, as there is always a hidden layer waiting to be revealed.

Liane is able to make a reader laugh and cry at the same time. She’s deft at weaving characters and settings and tying their stories together. Sometimes what you see isn't the truth. It's heartwarming and heartbreaking. What I love about Liane Moriarty's books is that she's a genius with character relationships and is able to make the reader relate to each person she creates. They all seem so real. And, as you can see, I love books that make me happy.