Want To Know A Secret? by Sue Moorcroft

Despite the subject matter, I really enjoyed this book.  I'm not a big fan of books that deal with some of the harsher realities of life as I read for escapism.  However, Ms Moorcroft writes with such warmth and humour I found that I was really enjoying Diane's story and actually willing things to work out for her.

When her husband, Gareth, is critically injured in a helicopter crash Diane's world goes in to a tailspin of it's own.  Finding out that he has been lying to her for 2 years is a shock, finding out that he has a whole other grown up family that seem ready to welcome her in to the fold is perhaps an even bigger one.  Her whole married life has been about scrimping and scraping and making do; something Diane has been very happy to do.  Now, the knowledge that Gareth has been leading a double life throws everything in to doubt.  Throw in an attraction to an unavailable man and Diane is sure to go through the wringer.

Despite the bleakness of the topics covered in the book there is a lot of enjoyment to be had from this book.  A well paced plot was vital to this story and we have that in abundance.  Everything moves at a natural feeling pace, even some of the more random plot points (Diane's sewing business for instance) slot in well and feel believable.  The real drivers for the story though are the characters of Diane and James.  Both are well constructed and have strong, individual voices that come across well on the page.

Covering betrayal, the nature of romantic love, familial love and paternal/maternal love it also touches on mental health issues, alcoholism and just the general struggles of daily life.  Set in the beautiful landscape of The Fens it all just gelled together quite wonderfully.  All the characters act more or less believably, apart from Gareth.  Unfortunately Gareth has no redeeming characteristics and this spoilt the story somewhat for me because if he is such a reprehensible person then how did Diane fall so deeply for him in the first place?  Even the flashbacks to their courtship make it clear he was a prize pranny then as well, it just spoilt the veracity of the rest of the tale.

It is a strangely charming tale that really did suck me in and make me want to keep reading.