The Secret by Kathy Hughes

The Secret by Kathryn Hughes
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 2 day

Pages - 416

Publisher - Headline Review

Blurb from Goodreads

Mary has been nursing a secret. Forty years ago, she made a choice that would change her world for ever, and alter the path of someone she holds dear.

Beth is searching for answers. She has never known the truth about her parentage, but finding out could be the lifeline her sick child so desperately needs. When Beth finds a faded newspaper cutting amongst her mother's things, she realises the key to her son's future lies in her own past. She must go back to where it all began to unlock...The Secret.


My Review

We open in June 1975 Mary Roberts whole world ended as she knew it. Flip ahead to 2016, Mary has passed leaving behind her daughter, grandson and a secret that could literally mean life or death for her daughter Beth's son. Beth's fathers identity is a secret, only Mary could have told her who he was, now Mary has died and Beth's son Jake is ill, could Beth's father's identity hold the key to saving his life? As Beth starts to go through her mothers belongings she finds clues that could help save her son, a secret from the past that may touch the lives of many.

Whilst the story timeline flips a wee bit, it is done so in a way the reader can follow easily. 1975 initially, 2013 to give some build to the main characters before heading back to the past where we pick up in 1976. We meet characters who seem to have no relationship or relevance to our present day story. We delve into the past, meet new characters, love and hate them in equal measures, Hughes takes us into a story of love, loss, sacrifice, family and how some secrets can have long reaching consequences and the fall out from it. This is a lovely story that has elements of sadness, courage and the impact secrets can have, how in protecting those we love we can actually cause more harm.

Beautifully written with characters that jump off the page and into your heart, or the ones that irritate you and get right under your skin. A skillful writer who creates a world you fall into and want to keep reading about long after you finish the last page. 4/5 for me this time, this is my first time reading this author, it won't be my last, thanks to Bookbridgr for sending me a copy of this to review and introducing me to a new author.

View all my reviews