The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty

I read an interesting article 'Reading is a Must to Exercise the Brain' by Sharon Loh in The Sunday Times last month. In it, she mentioned that the majority of Singaporeans do not read even one book a year! She iterated that minds need to exercise the same way bodies do to become healthy.
Ms Loh suggested making book clubs a norm in Singapore. I would love that idea but will it be a success if more than half of our population do not read regularly? Let me know how you feel if I start a book club and whether you'll join me:) Ms Loh also mentioned that being in a book club guarantees that we read regularly and gives us an excuse to meet up with our friends, away from husbands and kids..I kind of disagree with you on that, Ms Loh. I would gladly bring my girls to Book Clubs with the intention of creating interest and awareness of good books. That is, if my preteen and teen would agree to attend!!

Now let's get to my latest book review. ​The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty is the one of the novels I have read recently. A #1 New York Times Bestseller , the story basically depicts the lives of 3 women, Cecilia, Tess and Rachel who barely knew each other at the beginning but soon become interwined in a way they never would have imagined. 
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Cecilia Fitzpatrick is an ultra-orgnized wife, mother and Tupperware saleswoman who enjoys the joys of parenting their 3 quirky daughters with her husband John Paul. While searching for a piece of the Berlin Wall for her daughter's school project in her attic, Cecilia comes across a business sized envelope inscribed in John Paul's handwriting -

​For my wife Cecilia Fitzpatrick
​          To be opened only in the event of my death  

​Cecilia is torn between her promise to her husband to not open the envelope and her duty as a wife and mother. The letter gets opened inevitably and her husband's secret turns Cecilia's world upside down.

​Meanwhile, in Melbourne, 30-something Tess's marriage breaks down and makes the move to Sydney with her 6 year old son to live with her mother. There, sparks ignite between Tess and her former boyfriend Connor who is St Teresa's school gym teacher, where Cecilia's girls and Tess's son are enrolled.

​The school's grief stricken widowed secretary Rachel Crowley is convinced Conner, who is the last person to see her daughter, Janie, alive, is the murderer. Janie was strangled in 1984, when she was 17. Rachel believes she could have saved her daughter if she had picked her up 7 minutes earlier.
 
​Cecilia, Tess and Rachel all soon feel the earth shattering repercussions of the husband's secret.
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Published in 2013 and voted one of 30 Hot Books to read in Summer 2013 by USA today, The Husband's Secret is thought provoking. How well do we know our husband?  What would have happened or not happened  if you had just stepped out of the house 5 minutes later or earlier? What if you applied logic to that situation? What if you had not denied the truth? It is as scary as it is familiar.

The Husband's Secret is a mystery novel with the right balance of romance and family drama. I like the way she has started off with Pandora's Box and how when it opens all hell breaks loose. Very apt for this book.
I have just finished reading The Kitchen House and am currently on to Olive Kitteridge. Look out for both the book reviews soon. You won't be disappointed.

The Husband's Secret is available in paperback at US$10 in Amazon and found in local booktores too.
(Don't forget to let me know if you'll join my Book Club.)