Imagine that your husband wrote you a letter, to be opened after his death. Imagine, too, that the letter contains his deepest, darkest secret - something with the potential to destroy not just the life you built together, but the lives of others as well. Imagine, then, that you stumble across that letter while your husband is still very much alive....
Cecilia Fitzpatrick has achieved it all - she's an incredibly successful businesswoman, a pillar of her small community, and a devoted wife and mother. Her life is as orderly and spotless as her home. But that letter is about to change everything, and not just for her: Rachel and Tess barely know Cecilia - or each other - but they too are about to feel the earth-shattering repercussions of her husband’s secret.
Acclaimed author Liane Moriarty has written a gripping, thought-provoking novel about how well it is really possible to know our spouses - and, ultimately, ourselves.
Cecilia, mother of three beautiful girls, and happily married to a handsome man who's a wonderful father, has everything together - she leads the school moms group, has a perfect house, and runs things seamlessly. She longs for a little adventure, but all too soon realizes to be careful what she wishes for.
Tess has a wonderful husband, adorable son, and best friend/cousin who she loves more than anything. They successfully run a family business, until a secret breaks everything Tess has worked for to pieces.
Rachel, who is older, looks back on her life and family and the choices she has made. Her son is grown, her husband has passed, and she longs for a different life - a parallel life - where past hurts could be changed and the future could be different.
The story in an intricate weaving of three stories of separate families whose paths are all intertwined in deep and complex ways. The author does a brilliant job of not just telling the stories, but of occasional flashes of what would have been had a minor thing gone differently. The ending is especially brilliant. While the story, and characters, take a little bit of time to develop and the book takes some time to get into, once deep in it's fold it captures the reader and is well worth the effort to get the story started.
The story is about love, affairs, murder, family, and the husband's secret. The kind of secret where there is a before and an after. The kind of secret that once revealed will change everything, and nothing will every be the same as before the secret was told. The kind of secret that ruins lives but perhaps telling it may save lives too. The kind of secret that anyone may have, perhaps our closest loved one, perhaps our husband.
I listened to the audio version of this novel narrated by Caroline Lee. The narrator did a wonderful job with all of the characters including a slightly Australian accent which was perfect for this story. The audiobook was clear and easy to listen to. The perfect book for a long car ride, or to play while cleaning. The perfect book to make one wonder ... what could have been?
Narrated by: Caroline Lee
Length: 13 hrs and 44 mins
Release Date: 07/30/2013
Publisher: Penguin Audio