This is Cecilia's dilemma. Cecilia has the perfect life - three wonderful daughters, a loving husband, a thriving Tupperware empire - but all this is shaken when she finds a mysterious letter in the attic and must decide whether to respect her husband John-Paul's wishes or satisfy her curiosity (and her increasingly far-fetched suspicions) and open the letter.
Author Liane Moriarty weaves Cecilia's storyline with that of Tess, who is reeling from an unforgivable betrayal, and Rachel, who has never recovered from a mysterious family tragedy. The lives of the three women become more complicated and connected as secrets are revealed and relationships are wrecked.
Even when ''The Secret'' becomes obvious, the solution doesn't. This story starts off feeling like a light read - Cecilia is your cliched ''soccer mom'' destined to unravel from one too many after-school activities - but Moriarty balances chick-lit elements with a growing sense of unease, successfully tapping into our deepest fears and then confirming that sense of dread with a series of ''what if'' scenarios that really mess with your mind.
- Laura Hewson is an ODT subeditor.
