The Fifth Letter by Nicola Moriarty

Having felt really let down in the recent past by this genre of novel I was a little apprehensive going in to this one.  After all, it had all the hallmarks of disappointment splattered all over it.  Four women who have been friends since secondary school who are still grimly clutching on to that friendship well in to middle age and the secrets that they are harbouring from each other.  Secrets that they are now set to reveal.

Fortunately, I found this to be an engaging read.  Not a challenging one and I didn't find myself trying to second guess who had written what and who was behind that explosive Fifth Letter.  I just went along for the ride and enjoyed watching the stories of the four women unfold on the page.

Joni is a fairly reliable narrator and although she has her faults (as Trina, Eden and Deb do) she is honest about her manipulations and mistakes.  Quite why The Confessional looms so large is a bit confusing initially but even that gets tied up with a neat little bow at the end - a neat little bow that could possibly lead to a follow up on these four.

You do get the feeling reading through that the friendships only endure out of nostalgia as they are such disparate personalities and are clearly growing further and further apart as they move through life.  Even through the medium of open letters nobody tells the whole truth and still hold secrets close that eventually get displayed to the others - strangely, this seems to bring them closer than they have ever been. 

There are some surprises along the way and the nature of friendship is explored quite well.  I especially enjoyed the way the women related to each other and how Joni and the elusive author give their view of whats happening - just a shame that we only really see Eden and Trina through their eyes.  Completely unsentimental in it's telling I thoroughly enjoyed this book.