My inclination is to describe The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarity as "chick lit," but I hesitate to do so because that may give the impression I am dismissing it. Let's just say it is a serious and clever novel which will have special appeal for women. I can imagine women's book clubs discussing this into the wee hours of the morning -- or until their supply of wine runs out. There are frequent analyses which sound like they were taken from Dr. Phil -- not a bad thing, but face it, Dr. Phil's audience is predominantly women. That being said, most men, I suspect, will enjoy the novel as well.
The story, set in Australia, deals with an interesting confluence of events involving three suburban middle-class families. Each family is struggling with their own problems, only mildly interested in each other, but all somewhat involved with St. Angela's school.
The plot begins with one woman accidentally discovering a letter written to her by her husband with directions that it should not be opened until after his death. And thus Cecilia's problem. What does one do with such a letter? The decision to open it or not is laden with all sorts of implications.
Most readers will appreciate Moriarity's wit. "Marriage is a form of insanity; love hovering permanently on the edge of aggravation."
Other readers may be dissatisfied with the novel's ending, but I submit that the conclusion was not important. They story is the thing.
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