I'm still not sure how I feel about this book. I don't read a lot of straight-up realistic fiction that doesn't have a modifier such as "historical" or "YA" in front of it. It's definitely well-written and tightly plotted, but I'm not feeling the OMG FIVE STARS vibe from it. More like three and a half, if Goodreads had half-stars.This book is certainly compelling. For the first part of the book you want to know the secret, and once you know the secret, you want to find out what happens and how these people's lives will be turned upside down by it. The suspense is such that I finished it in a day, because I HAD TO KNOW WHAT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN.
Things I like: Interconnected stories. Three women tell this story, and their lives cross in various ways throughout the novel. One of the stories (Tess) felt somewhat disconnected from the others, though, since it didn't have to do with the Big Secret. I expected her to get more involved in the lives of the other two women, but instead she just had her own storyline going on. It wasn't a bad story, mind. I just wasn't sure why it had to be in this book.
Things I like: Realistic details. There are all the great details you expect from good realistic fiction--descriptions that pull you into the setting, a bit of humor, and plenty of moments that have you going "that's SO TRUE!" I've never been to Sydney, and the idea of Easter in fall is weird to me, but I felt like I was there in that one week while the leaves turned and the kids hunted for eggs.
Things I don't like: Improbable coincidences. There are a bunch of them sprinkled throughout this book. The climax hinges on one, and the Big Secret hinges on one. I understand that part of the point of the book is events coming together in just such a way that something improbable happens, and if one of those elements had been different, the future would have taken an entirely different turn. But at some point, I start finding it difficult to suspend my disbelief.
Things I would like to say to every adult in this book: TELL THE KIDS. TELL THE FUCKING KIDS. Every kid in this book KNOWS there's something going on with the adults, but none of the adults will just fucking TELL THEM, preferring to protect them from the truth. Except they know there's something! They can sense when there's drama, so you're not really shielding them from anything, just keeping them in the dark. They're going to find out eventually, and not from you, and they'll feel betrayed. Isn't it better to just be straight with them? It'll give them something really juicy to tell their therapists when they're older.
