The Husband's Secret, by Liane Moriarty

Wow.  Just WOW!  This book was on my "to read" list since December.  When I first read the synopsis, I knew it wasn't a book to miss.  I finally downloaded it to my Nook, to "check it out".  I started reading and couldn't stop.  The story is good.  Really good.  But the writing is even better than the story.  Moriarty took a really good story and wove it into a masterpiece.  If I'm starting to sound as if I'm enamored with this book, it's true.  If I enjoy a book, I often leave it on the shelf to read again someday.  But as soon as I read The Husband's Secret, I seriously considered reading it again right that very minute.

The novel, set in Australia, opens with Cecilia finding a sealed envelope in her attic, addressed to her by her husband "to open only in the event of my death".  She asks her husband about it without opening it, and he immediately brushes it off and tells her it's "nothing" and he meant to throw it away. He then asks her to throw it away, but I'll leave it to any woman to decide whether or not she does.  The story weaves the lives of three different families together, in a story captivates the reader from page one.  I admit I had a little trouble deciding how all three families would connect until at the very beginning, but it soon became clear.  And just when you think the story has reached an early resolution, it's only the beginning..  There are twists and turns that seem surprising at first, but as the author takes us deeper into the characters, they start to seem to follow the natural order of things.  I found myself questioning my own life throughout this book as I thought "What would I do?" many times as I connected with the characters.

My best advice, besides to READ THIS BOOK, is to make sure you don't read ahead.  I know some readers that like to "cheat" or "peek" to move things along faster, but DO NOT do that with this book.  If you read the ending or the Epilogue early, it will ruin (and I mean RUIN) the entire book for you.  I loved the ending, but I loved the Epilogue even more.  If you want to be taken on a true literary journey, take it slowly, savor it, and enjoy the ending and the way your mind will work when it's done.  Of course, you won't really go too slowly because the writing is so good that you can't put it down.  You'll devour every page until you're done!

Rating: 98 

Bottom Line:  A great work of fiction, one you'll be talking about for years to come.