The Secret by Kathryn Hughes

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.

I hadn’t come across author Kathryn Hughes before, but I won a copy of her latest release The Secret and the synopsis immediately had me intrigued so I wasted no time in getting started.

Beth is desperate to find out who her father is and time is of the essence as her son Jake is very ill and finding her father could be the life line they all need but her mother has passed away and never would reveal any information about her father.

When Beth uncovers a letter amongst her mother’s belongings she soon learns that there have been secrets kept for many years and her and her husband are determined to uncover the truth.

The authors writing style pulled me in right from the first page and the flow of her writing kept me turning those pages eager to piece together all the clues. Although at the beginning of the book we meet a number of different characters I didn’t struggle with getting to grips with who was who because they were all well developed and engaging characters who were all likeable even if some of their actions were unjust.

The plot was a heart-warming one at the focal point we have the adorable little Jake who is poorly and his parents desperate to save his life but in doing so they never expected the secrets they would uncover. The storyline also jumps back to 1976 where we meet a big group of characters and I really enjoyed this part of the book.

The storyline was full of hidden secrets and tragic events which I found greatly moving because I had warmed to the characters so much but the book wasn’t a depressive read thanks to the characters who all brought there bit of light to the plot.

I really enjoyed this book and the authors writing style made this such an effortless read as her writing sweeps us away with the storyline, so I cannot wait to go to town this weekend and pick up a copy of her debut The Letter.

Kindle                    Paperback