The Last Secret
Mary McGarry Morris
book reviews:
· general fiction
· chick lit/romance
· sci-fi/fantasy
· graphic novels
· nonfiction
· audio books

Click here for the curledup.com RSS Feed

· author interviews
· children's books @
   curledupkids.com
· DVD reviews @
   curledupdvd.com

newsletter
win books
buy online
links

home

for authors
& publishers


for reviewers

click here to learn more




Buy *The Last Secret* by Mary McGarry Morris online

The Last Secret
Mary McGarry Morris
Shaye Areheart Books
Hardcover
288 pages
April 2009
rated 3 1/2 of 5 possible stars

buy this book now or browse millions of other great products at amazon.com
previous reviewnext review

In Nora Hammond’s dreamscape, her marriage is successful, her teenaged child well-adjusted, and employment at the family-owned newspaper fulfilling. A frightening incident that happened when she was seventeen and vulnerable to the questionable charms of an older boyfriend has been relegated to the territory of nightmare. By all accounts, her small-town New England life is good.

But when an abject, guilt-riddled Ken Hammond confesses to a four-year relationship with Nora’s best friend, Robin, Hammond realizes she has been living a lie, the small fissures in her marriage looming large in retrospect. Hurt and angry, Nora sees betrayal everywhere - in the eyes of understanding friends, in the snide remarks of her social set.

Nora has unwittingly joined an embarrassing group - the betrayed wives club. Naturally, a period of adjustment is required, the five stages of grief yet to be tackled. Trapped in the vortex of her confusion, Nora is slow to acknowledge the repercussions of the affair on her children, especially her son, who has been carrying the fate of his father’s infidelity for some time.

Retracing the last four years, Nora cannot believe the extent of her naiveté, her oblivious acceptance of the many excuses her husband has made for his absences from home. Blinded by her anguish, Nora is barely able to function, ignoring all but the reality of Ken’s infidelity.

Not to worry. The reader will experience every facet of Nora’s emotional journey, her most intimate pain, anger and frustration, as well as her decision to keep the marriage intact for the sake of the children. The return of that boyfriend from the past - and the implications of their final violent night together - adds yet another layer of chaos to an already out-of-control existence. Reeling from her emotional wounds, Nora cannot fathom why Eddie Hawkins has reappeared or what he wants from her (the reader is at some disadvantage in figuring this out as well).

This is a tale of dysfunction writ large. The protagonist’s victim mentality literally paralyzes her with indecision, Eddie’s reappearance exacerbating her already fragile state. Carrying the weight, and dread, of her past mistakes, Nora falls into the role without much resistance, a deer caught in the headlights when the world turns sour, the past threatens, and infidelity looms.

Save Nora’s son, it is difficult to find a likeable character in this novel, or to empathize with a pampered woman who learns her marriage is a sham. The juxtaposition of present and past is jarring, a plot device that pushes a tragedy into the realm of the absurd.



Originally published on Curled Up With A Good Book at www.curledup.com. © Luan Gaines, 2009

Also by Mary McGarry Morris:

buy *The Last Secret* online
click here for more info
Click here to learn more about this month's sponsor!


fiction · sf/f · comic books · nonfiction · audio
newsletter · free book contest · buy books online
review index · links · · authors & publishers
reviewers

site by ELBO Computing Resources, Inc.