I just finished my second Liane Moriarty novel, The Husband’s Secret. Like her earlier novel What Alice Forgot (reviewed here), The Husband’s Secret is a relatively light read but also a page-turner. It is about three different women in Sydney, Australia: Cecilia, a Type-A Tupperware-selling mom of three; Tess, a mom of one facing a crossroads in her marriage; and Rachel, a woman in her 70s still mourning the unresolved murder of her teenage daughter. These women’s lives end up being intertwined in a number of surprising ways that unfold slowly throughout the novel.
The Husband’s Secret is ultimately about – yes – secrets, and the lengths we will go to protect the people we love and to unburden ourselves from the secrets we carry, as well as the notion of blame and responsibility. Moriarty has an easy, fluid style that was a pleasure to read. I enjoyed the characters, who were so different from each other but each compelling in her own way. I found that I could related to different parts of each one. Moriarty is gifted in capturing women’s inner thoughts, especially in the moments that they are being most honest with themselves.
There is also an epilogue that is particularly satisfying in a “Sliding Doors” kind of way.
I recommend The Husband’s Secret as a good, easy summer read. It addresses some pretty weighty issues, and Moriarty’s writing is thought-provoking.
The Husband’s Secret comes out next week, on July 30.