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Can You Keep a Secret?
How well do you really know the one you love?
With her customary page-turning style and potent themes, this is Caroline Overington at her thought-provoking best.
'Why do some people decide to get married when everyone around them would seem to agree that marriage, at least for the two people in question, is a terrifically bad idea?'
The year is 1999, and Lachlan Colbert - Colby - has the world at his feet. He's got a big job on Wall Street and a sleek bachelor pad in the heart of Manhattan. With money no object, he and his friends take a trip to Australia to see in the new millennium. And it's there, on a hired yacht sailing the Whitsundays, that he meets Caitlin.
Caitlin Hourigan has got wild hair and torn shorts - and has barely ever left the small patch of Queensland where she grew up. But Colby is smitten and for Caitlin, a girl from the wrong side of the tracks, a blissful future awaits - marriage, a big house, a beautiful little boy.
But nothing is ever as perfect as it seems. And for Lachlan and Caitlin the nightmare is only just beginning.
With her customary page-turning style and potent themes, this is Caroline Overington at her thought-provoking best.
'Why do some people decide to get married when everyone around them would seem to agree that marriage, at least for the two people in question, is a terrifically bad idea?'
The year is 1999, and Lachlan Colbert - Colby - has the world at his feet. He's got a big job on Wall Street and a sleek bachelor pad in the heart of Manhattan. With money no object, he and his friends take a trip to Australia to see in the new millennium. And it's there, on a hired yacht sailing the Whitsundays, that he meets Caitlin.
Caitlin Hourigan has got wild hair and torn shorts - and has barely ever left the small patch of Queensland where she grew up. But Colby is smitten and for Caitlin, a girl from the wrong side of the tracks, a blissful future awaits - marriage, a big house, a beautiful little boy.
But nothing is ever as perfect as it seems. And for Lachlan and Caitlin the nightmare is only just beginning.
368 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 2014
17 people are currently reading
446 people want to read
About the author
Caroline Overington
30 books576 followersCaroline Overington is an Australian author and journalist.
She has worked for The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald, and is is currently a staff writer for The Weekend Australian Magazine.
Caroline is a two-time winner of the Walkley Award for Investigative Journalism. She won her first Walkley for a series of articles about a literary fraud, and her second for a series about the AWB oil for food scandal.
She is also a winner of the Sir Keith Murdoch prize for excellence in Journalism; and of the Blake Dawson Prize.
Caroline has published five books. Her first, Only in New York, was about working as a foreign correspondent in Manhattan.
Her second, Kickback, was about the UN oil for food scandal. It won the Blake Dawson Prize for Business Literature.
Her first novel, Ghost Child, is about a child murdered by his parents.
Her second, I Came To Say Goodbye, takes the form of a letter from a grandfather to a Supreme Court judge. It was shortlisted for both the Fiction Book of the Year, and overall Book of the Year, in the 2011 Australian Book Industry Awards.
Her latest novel, published in October 2011, is called Matilda is Missing. It is set in the Family Court, and it is about a couple's war over custody of their two year old daughter, Matilda.
Caroline's books are proudly published by Random House Australia.
Caroline is a mother of delightful, 11-year-old twins. She lives with her kids, her husband, a blue dog, and a lizard, in Bondi.
She has worked for The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald, and is is currently a staff writer for The Weekend Australian Magazine.
Caroline is a two-time winner of the Walkley Award for Investigative Journalism. She won her first Walkley for a series of articles about a literary fraud, and her second for a series about the AWB oil for food scandal.
She is also a winner of the Sir Keith Murdoch prize for excellence in Journalism; and of the Blake Dawson Prize.
Caroline has published five books. Her first, Only in New York, was about working as a foreign correspondent in Manhattan.
Her second, Kickback, was about the UN oil for food scandal. It won the Blake Dawson Prize for Business Literature.
Her first novel, Ghost Child, is about a child murdered by his parents.
Her second, I Came To Say Goodbye, takes the form of a letter from a grandfather to a Supreme Court judge. It was shortlisted for both the Fiction Book of the Year, and overall Book of the Year, in the 2011 Australian Book Industry Awards.
Her latest novel, published in October 2011, is called Matilda is Missing. It is set in the Family Court, and it is about a couple's war over custody of their two year old daughter, Matilda.
Caroline's books are proudly published by Random House Australia.
Caroline is a mother of delightful, 11-year-old twins. She lives with her kids, her husband, a blue dog, and a lizard, in Bondi.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 102 reviews
September 13, 2016
Ker-chow. Can't wait to review this one. This AWW (Australian woman writer) is great! Love all her books thus far. Highly recommended are all her books! In fact, I'm off to source more right now.Straight to the pool room!
I alternated between 4-5 stars for this one, but 5 it is. Also, it has made it to my favourites list. I read this book in (almost) a day. It was hard to put down. Apart from a good dose of twists and turns, the book also centred on NY, and in this case, 911. I also read it yesterday, on 911. Weird timing.
Caitlin is a young and naive not even 20 year old gorgeous Aussie girl. She ends up living for a little while in NY, Manhattan, but then 911 occurs and she doesn't make it back to Australia. Looks can always be deceiving, and secrets abound here. She seemed sweet, but at times I wasn't sure where she was coming from, there was something 'going on' and I think the author was great in this confusion creating!
I didn't hate Lachlan 'Colby' like I think many others did, he was just a normal kind of young guy (that loves wheeling and dealing and working hard) ending up in a situation he probably shouldn't have been in, while keeping an eye out for Caitlin. Get ready for a twisty ending, Carolyn Overington is one of my faves. So different to Last Woman Hanged, she's one versatile writer.
I alternated between 4-5 stars for this one, but 5 it is. Also, it has made it to my favourites list. I read this book in (almost) a day. It was hard to put down. Apart from a good dose of twists and turns, the book also centred on NY, and in this case, 911. I also read it yesterday, on 911. Weird timing.
Caitlin is a young and naive not even 20 year old gorgeous Aussie girl. She ends up living for a little while in NY, Manhattan, but then 911 occurs and she doesn't make it back to Australia. Looks can always be deceiving, and secrets abound here. She seemed sweet, but at times I wasn't sure where she was coming from, there was something 'going on' and I think the author was great in this confusion creating!
I didn't hate Lachlan 'Colby' like I think many others did, he was just a normal kind of young guy (that loves wheeling and dealing and working hard) ending up in a situation he probably shouldn't have been in, while keeping an eye out for Caitlin. Get ready for a twisty ending, Carolyn Overington is one of my faves. So different to Last Woman Hanged, she's one versatile writer.
March 24, 2015
May contain spoilers..
There is nothing wrong with the writing style of this book and the characters are all well drawn...but there is just something that doesn't work and I can't put my finger on it.
There are a lot of sub stories and it is a very convoluted journey from Colby holidaying in Australia ...Caitlan getting the job, their relationship, then 9/11, then marriage then etc. as we travel towards the ultimate story, which I was invested in...or so I thought. Then it became evident that I hadn't yet reached the gist of the story...I thought I understood where it was going, only to be left wondering how it got to the point it did. Maybe it was a bit too convoluted?
When it got to the end I felt like I had missed some vital part of the story, the dots just didn't seem to connect properly.
I wasn't sorry I'd read it, but I was glad it was over. Its a confusing result and I'm still a bit perplexed about it.
3.5*s because I couldn't fault the writing.
Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for this copy to read and review.
January 13, 2024
Wall Street broker, Colby, and his colleagues decide to travel to Australia for a holiday over New Year's both because the markets are shut down for a potential Y2K disaster and to open the year with the Sydney fireworks. But first they head to the Whitsunday Islands in the Great Barrier Reef for some diving and party time on a yacht. Compared to the well off, well educated and well travelled Grant, 19 year old Caitlin grew up on Magnetic Island, does bar work to make a living and has never travelled further than Brisbane, the state capital.
Caitlin agrees to work on the yacht for the four day trip and develops a crush on Colby. And he's got his eye on her too. A holiday romance develops and then continues after Colby returns home. They keep in contact. He comes back to visit. And he buys her a ticket to visit him in New York. Then 9/11 happens and their lives spin out of control.
There are a number of really interesting themes in this book but I had some trouble getting into it. I think mostly because you could see disaster coming a mile off. Also because I really couldn't engage with either main character because, while I could feel compassion for them, they really weren't very likable. I found the twist very clever but the ending was not very satisfying for me.
I gave it 3.5 rounded up to 4.
Caitlin agrees to work on the yacht for the four day trip and develops a crush on Colby. And he's got his eye on her too. A holiday romance develops and then continues after Colby returns home. They keep in contact. He comes back to visit. And he buys her a ticket to visit him in New York. Then 9/11 happens and their lives spin out of control.
There are a number of really interesting themes in this book but I had some trouble getting into it. I think mostly because you could see disaster coming a mile off. Also because I really couldn't engage with either main character because, while I could feel compassion for them, they really weren't very likable. I found the twist very clever but the ending was not very satisfying for me.
I gave it 3.5 rounded up to 4.
September 16, 2014
This novel opens with a dramatic scene. In Larchmont, New York a mansion ablaze with a thin, blond woman in her nightwear screaming that her son, Benjamin is trapped inside. What unfolds in the subsequent pages is the story of how Caitlin, a naive, unspoilt Australian girl from Magnetic Island came to be alone with her son in that beautiful, big house in America.
Caitlin is the narrator of this story, following on from her fateful meeting with a wealthy American stock broker while working on a cruise in the Whitsundays to her subsequent visit to America and the arrival of her son.It's almost like watching dominoes fall as each event slots into place, leading Caitlin on to that fateful morning watching her house burn to the ground. The story of Caitlin's struggles to be a good wife and mother is so engrossing that the twists in the story are totally unexpected.
Caroline Overington is a thoughtful writer who touches on many contemporary issues in this book including overseas adoption, mental illness and the role of on-line media in our lives. She also paints a picture of a dysfunctional marriage with a work-driven husband who throws money instead of time and love at his increasingly dependent wife. A very enjoyable, fast pacy read.
With thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for a copy of this book to review.
Caitlin is the narrator of this story, following on from her fateful meeting with a wealthy American stock broker while working on a cruise in the Whitsundays to her subsequent visit to America and the arrival of her son.It's almost like watching dominoes fall as each event slots into place, leading Caitlin on to that fateful morning watching her house burn to the ground. The story of Caitlin's struggles to be a good wife and mother is so engrossing that the twists in the story are totally unexpected.
Caroline Overington is a thoughtful writer who touches on many contemporary issues in this book including overseas adoption, mental illness and the role of on-line media in our lives. She also paints a picture of a dysfunctional marriage with a work-driven husband who throws money instead of time and love at his increasingly dependent wife. A very enjoyable, fast pacy read.
With thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for a copy of this book to review.
September 15, 2014
It happens on very rare occasions that I can't quite figure out how to articulate my thoughts about a book. I have written and rewritten my thoughts about Can You Keep A Secret? a half a dozen times and still can't pull together anything cohesive.
I think it is because I didn't like it for reasons that are purely emotive. I know that when I finished the last page I dropped my Kindle in a mixture of frustration and incredulity. Some sort of trust had been broken between the author and myself that I can only partially attribute to the protagonist's 'secret', and feels too complicated to explain.
August 20, 2014
December 1999, the Whitsundays, Queensland, Australia. Caitlin Hourigan had lived on Magnetic Island with her hippy mother until she was sixteen years of age – the minute she was legally allowed to leave her mother’s side, she was gone from there, vowing never to live there again. She had a couple of different jobs; but when she heard from her mother that she had been diagnosed with MS, Caitlin moved closer to home – still on the mainland, but not far from her mother.
When she was approached by an old friend about doing some waitressing aboard a yacht for a group of rich Yanks, coming to sail around the Whitsundays before flying to Sydney to see the Millennium fireworks, the money was too good to refuse. These friends were all financiers working in New York and with money to burn. And so Caitlin met Lachlan Colbert (Colby), and his two friends for a week of fun and laughter; though she found she could talk to Robert much better than Colby, who didn’t say a lot…
Fast forward to September 2001 and Caitlin was in New York for six weeks, visiting and staying with the man she loved. When a catastrophic tragedy occurred which stopped her from returning to Australia, Caitlin became settled in her new life; suddenly she was married and an American citizen. A beautiful new home, a wonderful husband (admittedly he worked very long hours) – what more could she want? Everything was perfect – right? But life has a way of throwing curveballs whenever your back is turned…
I really enjoyed Aussie author Caroline Overington’s newest release – in my opinion this is her best yet. The plot was great, with some twists I definitely didn’t see coming. The pace was fast, and although it’s been classified as a psychological thriller, I would call it a mystery/suspense. An entertaining read and one I have no hesitation in recommending.
With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy to read and review.
When she was approached by an old friend about doing some waitressing aboard a yacht for a group of rich Yanks, coming to sail around the Whitsundays before flying to Sydney to see the Millennium fireworks, the money was too good to refuse. These friends were all financiers working in New York and with money to burn. And so Caitlin met Lachlan Colbert (Colby), and his two friends for a week of fun and laughter; though she found she could talk to Robert much better than Colby, who didn’t say a lot…
Fast forward to September 2001 and Caitlin was in New York for six weeks, visiting and staying with the man she loved. When a catastrophic tragedy occurred which stopped her from returning to Australia, Caitlin became settled in her new life; suddenly she was married and an American citizen. A beautiful new home, a wonderful husband (admittedly he worked very long hours) – what more could she want? Everything was perfect – right? But life has a way of throwing curveballs whenever your back is turned…
I really enjoyed Aussie author Caroline Overington’s newest release – in my opinion this is her best yet. The plot was great, with some twists I definitely didn’t see coming. The pace was fast, and although it’s been classified as a psychological thriller, I would call it a mystery/suspense. An entertaining read and one I have no hesitation in recommending.
With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy to read and review.
May 20, 2015
Commencing a blurb with a question implies that somewhere along the line the book will provide an answer. In the case of CAN YOU KEEP A SECRET? "Why do some people decide to get married when everyone around them would seem to agree that marriage, at least for the two people in question is a terrifically bad idea?" didn't ever seem to be asked, let alone answered.
It is, however, the story of a car crash of a marriage, but not whether or not two people are suited. It is even the story of how one partner does or doesn't cope at the rapid mental disintegration of the other. It could be, of course, that buried somewhere in the narrative there's something being said about the nature of mental illness, and whether a partner can even hope to help when the other falls apart. It could also be saying something about whether or not Caitlin's mental illness was apparent before Lachlan and she married. If those points where there they were well disguised. Certainly there was something overt about the feeling that Lachlan sort of "fell" into marrying a woman who, on witnessing the World Trade Centre's being destroyed from his nearby flat, fell apart in her own way. It was definitely saying something about Caitlin being a very manipulative person who "tricked" Lachlan into marriage. And somewhere towards the middle of the book, it said a lot about the nature of her obsession and how far she had fallen into delusion.
There seemed, overall, to be a lot of falling going on, which could have been an interesting metaphor to explore had there not been that dreaded question. Anybody who might have questioned the marriage, only seemed to do so after the event. Alas, there was a level of madness in Lachlan's own mother which negated her opinions, and some unfortunate self-interest in others which diminished anything much they might have had to say on the subject. Had they actually said anything up front.
The constant search for that agreement never quite managed to cover up the absolute inevitability of the entire plot, and by the end of it the question left unanswered for this reader was why ask the darn thing in the first place.
http://www.austcrimefiction.org/revie...
It is, however, the story of a car crash of a marriage, but not whether or not two people are suited. It is even the story of how one partner does or doesn't cope at the rapid mental disintegration of the other. It could be, of course, that buried somewhere in the narrative there's something being said about the nature of mental illness, and whether a partner can even hope to help when the other falls apart. It could also be saying something about whether or not Caitlin's mental illness was apparent before Lachlan and she married. If those points where there they were well disguised. Certainly there was something overt about the feeling that Lachlan sort of "fell" into marrying a woman who, on witnessing the World Trade Centre's being destroyed from his nearby flat, fell apart in her own way. It was definitely saying something about Caitlin being a very manipulative person who "tricked" Lachlan into marriage. And somewhere towards the middle of the book, it said a lot about the nature of her obsession and how far she had fallen into delusion.
There seemed, overall, to be a lot of falling going on, which could have been an interesting metaphor to explore had there not been that dreaded question. Anybody who might have questioned the marriage, only seemed to do so after the event. Alas, there was a level of madness in Lachlan's own mother which negated her opinions, and some unfortunate self-interest in others which diminished anything much they might have had to say on the subject. Had they actually said anything up front.
The constant search for that agreement never quite managed to cover up the absolute inevitability of the entire plot, and by the end of it the question left unanswered for this reader was why ask the darn thing in the first place.
http://www.austcrimefiction.org/revie...
September 21, 2014
A very strange, disjointed read. Why Caitlin needed to be Australian escapes me, but then, so did most of the book. Not recommended.
November 28, 2014
The story opens with Caitlin Colbert outside her burning home, calling for her son Benjamin, who is trapped inside.
Skip back a few years to December 1999, just before the dreaded Y2K bug is set to hit, and we are introduced to both Caitlin and Lachlan (Colby to his friends). An American on holiday in Australia with two of his mates, Colby’s path collides with Caitlin’s when she is asked to work on the yacht that he and his friends have chartered to cruise around the Whitsunday Islands. It is not love at first sight, but by the end of their trip, Colby has taken a bit of a shine to Caitlin, and she to him, so he decides to delay his New Year trip with his friends to the Sydney New Year’s fireworks, in favour of spending some time with Caitlin.
From there, and for the next two years, they embark on a long-distance relationship of sorts and, in 2002, he buys Caitlin, who is really, rather uneducated and has never ventured very far from the Whitsundays, a ticket to fly to New York for six weeks.
Things seem to be going extremely well between them until, in the aftermath of a tragedy that left the whole world shocked and so many families shattered, Caitlin begins to experience a fear of flying. With her visa soon to expire, but unable to overcome her phobia, her six week holiday turns into far longer than either her or Colby had anticipated as she begins to see a psychiatrist in the hope of a breakthrough. A hasty decision on Thanksgiving sees Colby proposing to her and a few days later, Caitlin becomes his wife.
Having become a bit of a recluse, withdrawing into herself and continually cleaning and renovating their beautiful home, while Colby works long hours at his demanding job, she begins to think about children, but when the barren weeks fade into months, she seeks the advice of a doctor.
With one miscarriage behind her, and apparently no hope of her ever conceiving, she turns to researching adoption and, with the help of a social worker, discovers that her and Colby could finally have a chance at parenthood when they are told about an orphanage in Russia. But all is not as it should be and, instead of strengthening their marital bonds, her and Colby continue to drift apart as she takes up the practice of placing her thoughts, emotions and fears of their incredible journey into a blog.
The comments that are left in response to those posts offer conflicting viewpoints on her dilemma, but at the end, the questions that the police and fire brigade put to Colby, and everyone else who has been associated with them, bring to light the very sad fact that you can’t always rely on one person’s viewpoint!
Do you know your loved one as much as you think you do?
Caroline Overington is known to make her readers think, offering us thought-provoking themes and, although I’ve never read her before, from what I’ve seen around the blogosphere, this time it appears no different. In Can You Keep a Secret?, she delves into the complicated world of adoption as well as severe mental illness, whilst also touching on the challenges of parenting an adopted child from a country that you know nothing about and the pressure this can possibly place on the sometimes fragile bonds of marriage.
Whilst I didn’t really like any of her characters, in my opinion, I think this is the reaction she was aiming for and, even though they don’t have the amount of depth that I usually love in my novels, such as a sufficient amount of backstory, she did manage to convey Caitlin as immature and clingy – so much so that there were times I wanted to shake her and tell her to grow up. Colby, while he is ten years older, bore (and perhaps I’m being a bit stereotypical here) the ambivalence of a male faced with a situation he has no control over, with his answer being to just give her everything she wants. He has the money, so why not!
Even though I think that some will find the subject matter a bit of a challenge, this aside, Caroline’s writing has a surprisingly relaxed and easy feel to it which immerses you into Caitlin’s world and keeps you turning the pages. She’s also been rather shrewd in choosing Caitlin to be the narrator as we get nobody else’s viewpoint until the very end. For me, the title itself asks the reader “can you keep a secret”? As a reviewer, yes, I sure can!
Skip back a few years to December 1999, just before the dreaded Y2K bug is set to hit, and we are introduced to both Caitlin and Lachlan (Colby to his friends). An American on holiday in Australia with two of his mates, Colby’s path collides with Caitlin’s when she is asked to work on the yacht that he and his friends have chartered to cruise around the Whitsunday Islands. It is not love at first sight, but by the end of their trip, Colby has taken a bit of a shine to Caitlin, and she to him, so he decides to delay his New Year trip with his friends to the Sydney New Year’s fireworks, in favour of spending some time with Caitlin.
From there, and for the next two years, they embark on a long-distance relationship of sorts and, in 2002, he buys Caitlin, who is really, rather uneducated and has never ventured very far from the Whitsundays, a ticket to fly to New York for six weeks.
Things seem to be going extremely well between them until, in the aftermath of a tragedy that left the whole world shocked and so many families shattered, Caitlin begins to experience a fear of flying. With her visa soon to expire, but unable to overcome her phobia, her six week holiday turns into far longer than either her or Colby had anticipated as she begins to see a psychiatrist in the hope of a breakthrough. A hasty decision on Thanksgiving sees Colby proposing to her and a few days later, Caitlin becomes his wife.
Having become a bit of a recluse, withdrawing into herself and continually cleaning and renovating their beautiful home, while Colby works long hours at his demanding job, she begins to think about children, but when the barren weeks fade into months, she seeks the advice of a doctor.
With one miscarriage behind her, and apparently no hope of her ever conceiving, she turns to researching adoption and, with the help of a social worker, discovers that her and Colby could finally have a chance at parenthood when they are told about an orphanage in Russia. But all is not as it should be and, instead of strengthening their marital bonds, her and Colby continue to drift apart as she takes up the practice of placing her thoughts, emotions and fears of their incredible journey into a blog.
The comments that are left in response to those posts offer conflicting viewpoints on her dilemma, but at the end, the questions that the police and fire brigade put to Colby, and everyone else who has been associated with them, bring to light the very sad fact that you can’t always rely on one person’s viewpoint!
Do you know your loved one as much as you think you do?
Caroline Overington is known to make her readers think, offering us thought-provoking themes and, although I’ve never read her before, from what I’ve seen around the blogosphere, this time it appears no different. In Can You Keep a Secret?, she delves into the complicated world of adoption as well as severe mental illness, whilst also touching on the challenges of parenting an adopted child from a country that you know nothing about and the pressure this can possibly place on the sometimes fragile bonds of marriage.
Whilst I didn’t really like any of her characters, in my opinion, I think this is the reaction she was aiming for and, even though they don’t have the amount of depth that I usually love in my novels, such as a sufficient amount of backstory, she did manage to convey Caitlin as immature and clingy – so much so that there were times I wanted to shake her and tell her to grow up. Colby, while he is ten years older, bore (and perhaps I’m being a bit stereotypical here) the ambivalence of a male faced with a situation he has no control over, with his answer being to just give her everything she wants. He has the money, so why not!
Even though I think that some will find the subject matter a bit of a challenge, this aside, Caroline’s writing has a surprisingly relaxed and easy feel to it which immerses you into Caitlin’s world and keeps you turning the pages. She’s also been rather shrewd in choosing Caitlin to be the narrator as we get nobody else’s viewpoint until the very end. For me, the title itself asks the reader “can you keep a secret”? As a reviewer, yes, I sure can!
October 6, 2014
I love Caroline Overington's books so buying her new release “Can you keep a secret?” was an automatic buy from me. I’m finding it hard to put down in words how I felt about this novel though as it’s one of those books if you say too much, it can ruin the entire book!!! We know what’s coming from the prologue, but we are taken on a big journey to get there, starting off in Australia on the Whitsunday Islands, then to New York, the 9/11 terrorist attacks, then international child adoption from Russia. So a lot is covered in this book – and I loved it. I would have given it a 5, but by half way through the story changes pace and becomes Caitlins blog, so it took me a while to switch to that style of writing/first person and it seemed to keep going on and on, but by the end, it all comes together and you work out the reason it was written in blog form…..so if you feel the same when you get to that stage – just keep on going….it’s worth it! A high 4……
August 20, 2014
I really enjoyed Caroline Overington's last novel No Place Like Home, the first of hers I'd read. As well as an entertaining read, it provided some thought-provoking social commentary on topical issues - immigration and cultural stereotyping.
Her latest release, Can You Keep a Secret, similarly directs our attention to a range of current concerns, such as how much of ourselves we expose online. In addition, the subject of international adoption features prominently - something which has also received a lot of media attention here in Australia.
It's hard to describe this novel without giving too much away. It starts with a prologue, so we eventually know what's coming... we just don't know how they get there.
It's almost impossible to know what's coming. The build-up is beautifully done... we don't expect a thing. (Or we do, but we're wrong!)
Read the rest of the post on my blog:
http://www.debbish.com/books-literatu...
Her latest release, Can You Keep a Secret, similarly directs our attention to a range of current concerns, such as how much of ourselves we expose online. In addition, the subject of international adoption features prominently - something which has also received a lot of media attention here in Australia.
It's hard to describe this novel without giving too much away. It starts with a prologue, so we eventually know what's coming... we just don't know how they get there.
It's almost impossible to know what's coming. The build-up is beautifully done... we don't expect a thing. (Or we do, but we're wrong!)
Read the rest of the post on my blog:
http://www.debbish.com/books-literatu...
August 26, 2014
I received a copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Caroline Overington writes compelling stories. every one of her books I devour within a day. They have unique and interesting plots.
But.... while the plot is tight and compelling and I read them quickly I personally like a bit more depth in my novels. There wasn't enough of a back story to make me really understand Caitlin's behaviour or have any empathy for either her or Colby. The characters could have been developed more. I thought the second half that was told via Caitlin's blog was weak, and would have been strengthened with alternate chapters told from someone else's perspective.
(Also, in 1980 there was no Centrelink, it was called Dept of Social Security. Centrelink didn't come about until the mid-90s)
Caroline Overington writes compelling stories. every one of her books I devour within a day. They have unique and interesting plots.
But.... while the plot is tight and compelling and I read them quickly I personally like a bit more depth in my novels. There wasn't enough of a back story to make me really understand Caitlin's behaviour or have any empathy for either her or Colby. The characters could have been developed more. I thought the second half that was told via Caitlin's blog was weak, and would have been strengthened with alternate chapters told from someone else's perspective.
(Also, in 1980 there was no Centrelink, it was called Dept of Social Security. Centrelink didn't come about until the mid-90s)
December 12, 2014
In 1999, American Lachlan Colbert known as Colby and his friends are making a trip Down Under for the new year. They’re spending up big in far north Queensland, booking a luxury cruiser and Caitlin is hired to serve the drinks and cook the food. Colby comes back to visit, enjoying the simplicity of life with Caitlin, drinking beer and eating fish and chips on the beach. In September 2001, he flies Caitlin to America to show her his life in Manhattan.
Caitlin is only buildings away from the World Trade Center when the planes bring them down. Crippled with anxiety and a fear of flying, she remains in America and she and Colby marry and move to a less crowded part of New York. They begin trying for a child but after a miscarriage, Caitlin turns to adoption, looking into adopting a baby from Russia. She begins a blog, chronicling their journey going forward with it.
Their life seems idyllic – Colby works long hours but makes the money and his beautiful blonde Australian wife takes an interest in interior design, renovating and furnishing their home. But behind the facade, things are never as perfect as they seem.
Wow.
I’m not sure I have ever read a book that left me feeling so conflicted before when it comes to both rating it and articulating my thoughts about it. I have read all of Caroline Overington’s previous fiction books and I’m a big fan. I think I’ve rated them all 8 or 9 out of 10 and I love the way she tells a story and digs into an issue. And for the most part, I was rather enjoying this book. The first part seemed a bit long, then it switches viewpoints and most of the rest of the story is told solely through Caitlin’s blog entries after she and Colby begin to look into adoption. I had the first inklings of unease throughout this section, like perhaps the way this panned out wasn’t going to pay off as well as I thought it would but even I was unprepared by how disappointed I was when the twist was revealed at the end of the book.
Colby and Caitlin are basically opposites – she was raised in poverty on Magnetic Island and she left home as soon as she legally could without being dragged back there by government social departments. She works at a “skimpy” bar in Townsville when she is approached by a local man she knows well who asks her to help out with a charter for a week. By contrast, Colby is wealthy. He works in market or stock trading and his company has its offices in the North Tower of the WTC. He’s used to privilege and the finer things in life and Caitlin is a refreshing change with her denim cut offs, natural tan and hair bleached blonde by the sun. She’s led a sheltered life in some aspects, in terms of travel and experience but in other ways, she’s probably more independent than Colby. She’s had to take care of herself from a very young age and not only herself but also support her mother as well, who has a serious illness and will soon need assisted living.
The courtship between Colby and Caitlin is unusual and it’s something you’d expect to die a natural death when Colby returns to New York. However he makes another visit and later on, flies Caitlin over to New York which means that she’s there when 9/11 takes place. Given that later on, the reader discovers what an unreliable narrator Caitlin is, now that I’ve finished the book I have to wonder about the validity of her anxiety and fear. I mean, it would obviously be very natural to fear flying after 9/11 and it would be something that you’d have to work to get over. But Caitlin’s found herself in Colby’s luxurious bachelor pad in New York living a life that’s far from her existence in Queensland working in a bar. I do think that there’s little doubt she sees opportunity in remaining “trapped” in America, unable to fly home to Australia. Even their marriage comes about in an unconventional way, a snap reaction from Colby to criticism from his mother.
Although the blog entries were in some way, my favourite part of the book they were also somehow the part where it all began to come apart for me. And I know how weird that sounds. As much as I was actually quite enjoying that section of the book, there was always something (well a lot of things) that didn’t quite ring true for me and it made me rather skeptical. I kept wondering what the secret in the title was and playing out various scenarios in my head but in the end, what it actually was didn’t deliver the shock I was expecting. It was almost like a “hmm, of course that’s it”. The fact that the second half is all entirely Caitlin’s blog post point of view means that a vital part of the story is missing until the end and it’s told so quickly, that there’s no real justice to it. Colby’s opinion and thoughts on what is going on are actually rather important and by the time we get them, it comes across as kind of flippant. I suppose he’s at his wits end or something but the reader has not been with him for the past year, or whatever it is. We haven’t had anything from his point of view, nothing about his state of mind or his feelings and what he’s attempted. It felt like a really large part of the story was missing and hearing it retrospectively isn’t the same.
I wish I could rate this book in sections – each part would receive a different mark. The beginning was okay, readable but nothing super exciting, the stuff when Caitlin went to New York much more so and the blog entries were disturbing and unsettling and began to change my thoughts. I’m going to have to go middle of the road, because I did like most of it but the end altered everything.
Caitlin is only buildings away from the World Trade Center when the planes bring them down. Crippled with anxiety and a fear of flying, she remains in America and she and Colby marry and move to a less crowded part of New York. They begin trying for a child but after a miscarriage, Caitlin turns to adoption, looking into adopting a baby from Russia. She begins a blog, chronicling their journey going forward with it.
Their life seems idyllic – Colby works long hours but makes the money and his beautiful blonde Australian wife takes an interest in interior design, renovating and furnishing their home. But behind the facade, things are never as perfect as they seem.
Wow.
I’m not sure I have ever read a book that left me feeling so conflicted before when it comes to both rating it and articulating my thoughts about it. I have read all of Caroline Overington’s previous fiction books and I’m a big fan. I think I’ve rated them all 8 or 9 out of 10 and I love the way she tells a story and digs into an issue. And for the most part, I was rather enjoying this book. The first part seemed a bit long, then it switches viewpoints and most of the rest of the story is told solely through Caitlin’s blog entries after she and Colby begin to look into adoption. I had the first inklings of unease throughout this section, like perhaps the way this panned out wasn’t going to pay off as well as I thought it would but even I was unprepared by how disappointed I was when the twist was revealed at the end of the book.
Colby and Caitlin are basically opposites – she was raised in poverty on Magnetic Island and she left home as soon as she legally could without being dragged back there by government social departments. She works at a “skimpy” bar in Townsville when she is approached by a local man she knows well who asks her to help out with a charter for a week. By contrast, Colby is wealthy. He works in market or stock trading and his company has its offices in the North Tower of the WTC. He’s used to privilege and the finer things in life and Caitlin is a refreshing change with her denim cut offs, natural tan and hair bleached blonde by the sun. She’s led a sheltered life in some aspects, in terms of travel and experience but in other ways, she’s probably more independent than Colby. She’s had to take care of herself from a very young age and not only herself but also support her mother as well, who has a serious illness and will soon need assisted living.
The courtship between Colby and Caitlin is unusual and it’s something you’d expect to die a natural death when Colby returns to New York. However he makes another visit and later on, flies Caitlin over to New York which means that she’s there when 9/11 takes place. Given that later on, the reader discovers what an unreliable narrator Caitlin is, now that I’ve finished the book I have to wonder about the validity of her anxiety and fear. I mean, it would obviously be very natural to fear flying after 9/11 and it would be something that you’d have to work to get over. But Caitlin’s found herself in Colby’s luxurious bachelor pad in New York living a life that’s far from her existence in Queensland working in a bar. I do think that there’s little doubt she sees opportunity in remaining “trapped” in America, unable to fly home to Australia. Even their marriage comes about in an unconventional way, a snap reaction from Colby to criticism from his mother.
Although the blog entries were in some way, my favourite part of the book they were also somehow the part where it all began to come apart for me. And I know how weird that sounds. As much as I was actually quite enjoying that section of the book, there was always something (well a lot of things) that didn’t quite ring true for me and it made me rather skeptical. I kept wondering what the secret in the title was and playing out various scenarios in my head but in the end, what it actually was didn’t deliver the shock I was expecting. It was almost like a “hmm, of course that’s it”. The fact that the second half is all entirely Caitlin’s blog post point of view means that a vital part of the story is missing until the end and it’s told so quickly, that there’s no real justice to it. Colby’s opinion and thoughts on what is going on are actually rather important and by the time we get them, it comes across as kind of flippant. I suppose he’s at his wits end or something but the reader has not been with him for the past year, or whatever it is. We haven’t had anything from his point of view, nothing about his state of mind or his feelings and what he’s attempted. It felt like a really large part of the story was missing and hearing it retrospectively isn’t the same.
I wish I could rate this book in sections – each part would receive a different mark. The beginning was okay, readable but nothing super exciting, the stuff when Caitlin went to New York much more so and the blog entries were disturbing and unsettling and began to change my thoughts. I’m going to have to go middle of the road, because I did like most of it but the end altered everything.
November 30, 2014
I wasn't overly thrilled reading this book. It started out okay but than with all the blogging I became bored. There was no real life going on and the book focused on Caitlin and Benjamin. The twist at the end was great but I would have liked to see the twist earlier on. This is the first time I've been disappointed by a Caroline Overington book. Yet, it hasn't deterred me from reading her other books.
December 8, 2014
Totally unconvincing story.
September 12, 2014
When New York stockbroker Lachlan Colbert (aka Colby) and his friends decide to visit Australia to see in the new millennium their only plan is to have a good time. Unworldly local girl Caitlin's aim is to make some extra money working on the boat they have chartered. Yet in the space of a few days this unlikely pair are smitten and a couple of years later they are married and living in an apartment in Manhattan.
A decade later Colby and Caitlin have moved to the suburbs with their adopted son Benjamin. They live in a beautiful house in a nice neighbourhood. Colby's income allows Caitlin to be a full time home-maker. Yet within this veneer of the "perfect" suburban life exist some serious cracks that come to light all too horribly when a house fire finds Caitlin outside their home screaming for Benjamin while the neighbours gossip about just what going on in the Colberts home.
As always Caroline Overington uses a third party to tell her story, although this time she has moved away from the voice of the male Australian she has favoured in her past novels. Interestingly she has also introduced a first person element via Caitlin's blog entries. This provided a different perspective, although as a reader you are left wondering if these are actually Caitlin's real experiences or if they have been manipulated for public attention. It is cleverly done and I think it worked well within the storyline.
Caroline Overington once again takes a complex topic at large and brings it to light. In Can You Keep A Secret the reader comes to grips with the less heard of realities of international adoption as well as the complex forces that bring and keep some couples together.
Can You Keep A Secret is indeed a story about secrets and not good ones. The suspense is well paced throughout and certainly keeps you guessing right until the conclusion reveals the final stunning twist.
A decade later Colby and Caitlin have moved to the suburbs with their adopted son Benjamin. They live in a beautiful house in a nice neighbourhood. Colby's income allows Caitlin to be a full time home-maker. Yet within this veneer of the "perfect" suburban life exist some serious cracks that come to light all too horribly when a house fire finds Caitlin outside their home screaming for Benjamin while the neighbours gossip about just what going on in the Colberts home.
As always Caroline Overington uses a third party to tell her story, although this time she has moved away from the voice of the male Australian she has favoured in her past novels. Interestingly she has also introduced a first person element via Caitlin's blog entries. This provided a different perspective, although as a reader you are left wondering if these are actually Caitlin's real experiences or if they have been manipulated for public attention. It is cleverly done and I think it worked well within the storyline.
Caroline Overington once again takes a complex topic at large and brings it to light. In Can You Keep A Secret the reader comes to grips with the less heard of realities of international adoption as well as the complex forces that bring and keep some couples together.
Can You Keep A Secret is indeed a story about secrets and not good ones. The suspense is well paced throughout and certainly keeps you guessing right until the conclusion reveals the final stunning twist.
August 26, 2014
This is a book that I didn't expect to turn out the way it did. The story is set in 1999 and centres around Caitlin, an Aussie girl from Townsville who meets an American, Lachlan nicknamed Colby on a yacht where Caitlin was working as a waitress.
While Caitlin and Lachlan didn't hit it off right away, somehow at the end of his trip, they clicked and what started off as a summer romance turns out to be a little bit more when Lachlan invites and pays for Caitlin to visit him in New York. And then 911 happened, which set the turn of events for what happened afterwards.
Caitlin and Lachlan ended up being married, and what we thought would end up as happily ever after had a few glitches - as most new marriages go. The story is written beautifully, pulling you in from the get-go. It splits into a P.O.V style with Caitlin sharing her story via a blog, which throws us completely as the story progresses.
I ended up hating Lachlan and found Caitlin rather grating and needy, but I think that was the purpose. The twist at the end was something I really did not expect and really made me think if things would have been different had 911 not occur? Or was Caitlin a fragile girl waiting to be broken?
Great read!
While Caitlin and Lachlan didn't hit it off right away, somehow at the end of his trip, they clicked and what started off as a summer romance turns out to be a little bit more when Lachlan invites and pays for Caitlin to visit him in New York. And then 911 happened, which set the turn of events for what happened afterwards.
Caitlin and Lachlan ended up being married, and what we thought would end up as happily ever after had a few glitches - as most new marriages go. The story is written beautifully, pulling you in from the get-go. It splits into a P.O.V style with Caitlin sharing her story via a blog, which throws us completely as the story progresses.
I ended up hating Lachlan and found Caitlin rather grating and needy, but I think that was the purpose. The twist at the end was something I really did not expect and really made me think if things would have been different had 911 not occur? Or was Caitlin a fragile girl waiting to be broken?
Great read!
April 18, 2016
I don't think there are many families that don't have secrets. But there are secrets that are best kept because it might hurt someone and you are not benefiting anyone else but the release of the burden from yourself by telling the other person.
Then there are bad secrets that are so deep that when or if they come out they can split a family right down the middle or explode it into a zillion little pieces.
Caroline Overington is a great storyteller, each book I have read by her has left me thoughtful.
At the opening of this book is a dramatic scene that will keep your attention and begin to enfold you into each page.
The reason for my 4 stars is because at times when the author changed to third person it became more confusing to keep abreast of things, so then I began to struggle.
I got it, but I didn't like it being split that way. That is my preference and not a reflection on the story it just didn't make for easy reading after that.
Plot is good and paced well though.
August 19, 2014
3.5 stars (Not quite 4.)
Predictable but highly enjoyable read.
I found the main character to be grating at the best of times, but I just couldn't put the book down, even though I wanted to reach through the pages and throttle her. Writing a contemptible character that keeps people reading is quite a skill and Overington pulled it off magnificently.
Whilst there were no real surprises, I was never fully convinced of my rightness either, which was part of what compelled me to read on.
I'd call this light suspense. Though beneath the deceptively simple storyline, you could delve into a world of mental health, the fragility of the human condition, compulsive, selfish personalities and what drives them.
It's up to you how deep you choose to go.
Predictable but highly enjoyable read.
I found the main character to be grating at the best of times, but I just couldn't put the book down, even though I wanted to reach through the pages and throttle her. Writing a contemptible character that keeps people reading is quite a skill and Overington pulled it off magnificently.
Whilst there were no real surprises, I was never fully convinced of my rightness either, which was part of what compelled me to read on.
I'd call this light suspense. Though beneath the deceptively simple storyline, you could delve into a world of mental health, the fragility of the human condition, compulsive, selfish personalities and what drives them.
It's up to you how deep you choose to go.
April 12, 2015
The cover calls it a page turner, and yes, I would agree, but chiefly because the writing is so light and uncomplicated that it doesn't take much to digest. The twist is effective, unusual, but I don't see how Caitlin ends up in the situation in which she is. The characters are stereotypes : and thus when Caitlin starts as the resilient, capable Freckle faced blonde Australian, I can't find the point at which she undergoes the transformation into neurotic, trophy wife. I don't see events as that plausible. Not really my genre I don't think. Not meaty enough or something. A light holiday read..
Read
September 17, 2014I didn't like this at all. I have read her previous books and found them OK. Not great writing but compelling plot and interesting characters. This book has neither, the plot is, at best thin, and the characters are one dimensional. The whole story hinges on one plot development that I found so unbelievable that it was almost funny. Not recommended.
March 28, 2015
Feeling a bit disappointed with the latest book by this author. Though it started well I got quite bored at times in the middle. I enjoyed the surprise ending but thought that it took a long time to get to this point.
October 19, 2016
This book really got me hooked. It was easy to read and absorbing. The ending has a twist that I didn't see coming, so I was impressed. It isn't as good as Gone Girl for instance, but I still found it entertaining.
October 6, 2014
OMG fantastic book could not put it down, a must read. Right to the very end I did not pick what the ending would be. Now I need more of Caroline Overington.
December 30, 2014
I'm usually able to pick the plot twist but the extent of this one caught me out. I love that! An eye opening read on many levels.
May 26, 2018
(I received a free copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.)
The year is 1999, and Lachlan Colbert - Colby - has the world at his feet. He's got a big job on Wall Street and a sleek bachelor pad in the heart of Manhattan. With money no object, he and his friends take a trip to Australia to see in the new millennium. And it's there, on a hired yacht sailing the Whitsundays, that he meets Caitlin. Caitlin Hourigan has got wild hair and torn shorts - and has barely ever left the small patch of Queensland where she grew up. But Colby is smitten and for Caitlin, a girl from the wrong side of the tracks, a blissful future awaits - marriage, a big house, a beautiful little boy. But nothing is ever as perfect as it seems. And for Lachlan and Caitlin the nightmare is only just beginning.
3 stars seems like an "It's okay" review - and to some extent, that is true. You see, Caroline Overington usually writes a cracking story. This one is just okay for me. It is still a good story, don't get me wrong, but just not as good as some of her other novels.
The problems for me stem from the lack of backstory of both Caitlin and Lachlan (Colby) - and the character development overall. I didn't feel any connection to, or empathy for, either character. It could be argued that Overington wrote them this way to make neither of them particularly likeable or believable for the sake of the story - and I could subscribe to that thought...
Also, the blog entries later on in the book just felt like a waste of effort, when this part of the story could well have been told from another POV - this seemed like a "simple" way to tell the story, which is odd compared to the naturally "difficult" theme of the story.
However, having said all that negative stuff, it still isn't a bad book. There is enough in the storylines to keep you guessing and Caitlin's unreliable narrator aspect really does ratchet up as the story goes along. Plenty there for fans of domestic thrillers or psychological women's fiction.
Paul
ARH
The year is 1999, and Lachlan Colbert - Colby - has the world at his feet. He's got a big job on Wall Street and a sleek bachelor pad in the heart of Manhattan. With money no object, he and his friends take a trip to Australia to see in the new millennium. And it's there, on a hired yacht sailing the Whitsundays, that he meets Caitlin. Caitlin Hourigan has got wild hair and torn shorts - and has barely ever left the small patch of Queensland where she grew up. But Colby is smitten and for Caitlin, a girl from the wrong side of the tracks, a blissful future awaits - marriage, a big house, a beautiful little boy. But nothing is ever as perfect as it seems. And for Lachlan and Caitlin the nightmare is only just beginning.
3 stars seems like an "It's okay" review - and to some extent, that is true. You see, Caroline Overington usually writes a cracking story. This one is just okay for me. It is still a good story, don't get me wrong, but just not as good as some of her other novels.
The problems for me stem from the lack of backstory of both Caitlin and Lachlan (Colby) - and the character development overall. I didn't feel any connection to, or empathy for, either character. It could be argued that Overington wrote them this way to make neither of them particularly likeable or believable for the sake of the story - and I could subscribe to that thought...
Also, the blog entries later on in the book just felt like a waste of effort, when this part of the story could well have been told from another POV - this seemed like a "simple" way to tell the story, which is odd compared to the naturally "difficult" theme of the story.
However, having said all that negative stuff, it still isn't a bad book. There is enough in the storylines to keep you guessing and Caitlin's unreliable narrator aspect really does ratchet up as the story goes along. Plenty there for fans of domestic thrillers or psychological women's fiction.
Paul
ARH
December 10, 2024
I didn't enjoy CYKAS much. I finished it but skimmed much of it.
No likeable characters. Thin plot. Mystery ending.
Starts with a fire in a grand US home. An emaciated woman desperately tries to rescue a child she says is in there.
Caitlin, a beautiful Aussie girl, meets Colby, a wealthy US share trader on his Barrier Reef holiday.
They fall in love. He invites Caitlin to NYC for a stay of 3 months. She stays in his Manhattan bachelor pad
apartment while he works in the World Trade Centre.
They both have near misses on 9/11. Caitlin freaks out. Fear of flying. Doesn't return to Australia. Needs a shrink. Becomes needy, clingy. This doesn't suit Colby, previously a happy bachelor
Inexplicably, he marries her. She gets pregnant but miscarries. Then she gets an eating disorder. Nevertheless, she decides to adopt a Russian orphan. Reluctantly, Colby agrees. His mother opposes it. Eventually, so does he. He can't dissuade her.
Caitlin starts a blog describing their adoption progress. Detailed. Pages of it. Skimmed. They go to Moscow. Pick up Benjamin, a profoundly disturbed 5yo. Take him back to the US where he lives more like an animal than a boy. They make him a room in the attic.
Nothing works to tame him. It's ruining their lives.
Eventually, Colby can't take it anymore, and leaves.
We jump to the post-fire. Caitlin insists that Benjamin was in the house and didn't escape. Investigators can find no body or trace. Caitlin tells them Colby had said they must get rid of Benjamin.
Suspicious, they track down Colby at his girlfriend Summer's apartment. He tells them there never was a Benjamin. It was all a delusion caused by Caitlin's mental illness. This despite page after page detailing the adoption.
It ends with the question of Benjamin hanging. Caitlin is despatched to a mental facility. Colby divorces her and marries Summer.
No likeable characters. Thin plot. Mystery ending.
Starts with a fire in a grand US home. An emaciated woman desperately tries to rescue a child she says is in there.
Caitlin, a beautiful Aussie girl, meets Colby, a wealthy US share trader on his Barrier Reef holiday.
They fall in love. He invites Caitlin to NYC for a stay of 3 months. She stays in his Manhattan bachelor pad
apartment while he works in the World Trade Centre.
They both have near misses on 9/11. Caitlin freaks out. Fear of flying. Doesn't return to Australia. Needs a shrink. Becomes needy, clingy. This doesn't suit Colby, previously a happy bachelor
Inexplicably, he marries her. She gets pregnant but miscarries. Then she gets an eating disorder. Nevertheless, she decides to adopt a Russian orphan. Reluctantly, Colby agrees. His mother opposes it. Eventually, so does he. He can't dissuade her.
Caitlin starts a blog describing their adoption progress. Detailed. Pages of it. Skimmed. They go to Moscow. Pick up Benjamin, a profoundly disturbed 5yo. Take him back to the US where he lives more like an animal than a boy. They make him a room in the attic.
Nothing works to tame him. It's ruining their lives.
Eventually, Colby can't take it anymore, and leaves.
We jump to the post-fire. Caitlin insists that Benjamin was in the house and didn't escape. Investigators can find no body or trace. Caitlin tells them Colby had said they must get rid of Benjamin.
Suspicious, they track down Colby at his girlfriend Summer's apartment. He tells them there never was a Benjamin. It was all a delusion caused by Caitlin's mental illness. This despite page after page detailing the adoption.
It ends with the question of Benjamin hanging. Caitlin is despatched to a mental facility. Colby divorces her and marries Summer.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 12, 2019
One story, too many heavy topics that are all glossed over. Childhood neglect and abuse. Masochism. Terrorism. Immigration. PTSD. Eating disorder. Phobia. The rich, ‘perfect’ life. Obsession. Bad parent relationships. Adoption. Marital discord. Mental illness. None of these themes are deeply explored. It didn’t even feel like a wild ride - it felt like a car crash.
Poor pacing - from super slow to randomly skipping ahead whole months.
Inconsistent characterisations with very few hints of any deeper aspects forming the characters.
The third person narration suddenly turns into first person, diary style. Why?
There is no foreshadowing or accurate characterisation that successfully delivers the twist at the end. The twist falls flat on its face as if pushed in as an afterthought.
In summary, this is a story that doesn’t know what it is, a story trying to be everything at once. It’s a story trying very hard to be worthy of its themes and trying very hard to be deeply psychological but completely misses the mark.
Poor pacing - from super slow to randomly skipping ahead whole months.
Inconsistent characterisations with very few hints of any deeper aspects forming the characters.
The third person narration suddenly turns into first person, diary style. Why?
There is no foreshadowing or accurate characterisation that successfully delivers the twist at the end. The twist falls flat on its face as if pushed in as an afterthought.
In summary, this is a story that doesn’t know what it is, a story trying to be everything at once. It’s a story trying very hard to be worthy of its themes and trying very hard to be deeply psychological but completely misses the mark.
December 1, 2019
Entertaining, the first half of the book was well written and definitely a page turner. Then the main character started blogging and the rest of the book was her blog. The blog portion of the book was hard to get through. I understand that it was written in the voice of the main character so it was not written as well. I couldn’t wait for the blog section to be done so I could finish the book. After all it was interesting enough to finish. So I would still recommend it. I guess I was just annoyed with the main character. If this was the intention of the author she succeeded!
I would definitely read other books by this author.
I would definitely read other books by this author.
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