The Husband's Secret

 Liane Moriarty

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

Genre: Contemporary Fiction

This is my third Liane Moriarty book after Big Little Lies and Truly Madly Guilty. Right from the beginning, let me say that I enjoyed those two more than this one.

 Although the story's format, which follows three female characters, is similar to Big Little Lies, its execution and outcome are quite different. We follow the main female lead, Cecillia, who is heavily involved in community events and sells Tupperware. She discovers a sealed letter from her husband addressed to her and to be opened in the event of his death. Her husband is still alive, so curiosity kills her.

The second female character is Tess. Along with her son, she moved into her mother’s house after her husband left her for another woman, who is also her cousin and best friend. Then there is Rachel, who, after many years, is still grieving the murder of her daughter. She still has her eyes on Connor as the killer of her daughter.

This book, like the author’s other books, features storylines that are intertwined with one another. Secrets will be out in the open, and characters will find themselves forced to face difficult situations. The plot is intriguing. However, I can’t help but feel it was overwritten. This story didn’t need to be over 400 pages. 

The ending was unbelievable for both the characters and our world. I couldn’t comprehend Rachel acting like that after many years of searching for that killer. Her reaction was totally out of character. The other resolutions were similarly lacking in depth. The story relied more on drama than character growth, which is why it didn’t connect with me like the author’s other books. It’s a decent story, but a forgettable one.