THE ART OF KEEPING SECRETS by Patti Callahan Henry
Patti Callahan Henry is one of my favorite authors. She writes books that are generally set in the low country of South Carolina. Each story has a hero/heroine who is true to his/her dreams and goals. In her latest novel THE ART OF
KEEPING SECRETS Henry moves into much deeper waters. This time out the plot is not as simple and the characters more complex than in her previous works. This is an involved story about trust, faithfulness and forgiveness.
Annabelle Murphy is a widow living in Marsh Cove, South Carolina. Her husband Knox has been dead for two years. He died in a plane crash in Colorado leaving Annabelle to raise their two children.
Sofie Milstead is a young woman living in Newboro, North Carolina. She does research on dolphins and their habits. She knew Annabelle Murphy many years ago when she was very young, but suddenly their lives are going to crash into each other with alarming results.
The issue at hand is the fact that after two years Knox Murphy’s crashed plane has been found. It has been located in the mountains of Colorado. Annabelle thought her husband was on that plane alone but the wreckage reveals there was a woman on board the craft with him. That woman might have been Sofia’s mother, an artist who had lived in Marsh Cove at one time.
The existence of this body undermines everything Annabelle has believed in over the years. She thought she had a faithful husband, did she? She thought she had a truthful husband, did she? She thought she had friends on whom she could rely, does she? The solid earth beneath her feet has turned to quicksand and she finds herself sinking.
Henry examines and explores all of the emotions which Annabelle is feeling. She has the wisdom as a writer not to make this character too perfect, and not to make the resolution of these problems too easy. Any solution or resolution of problems is a hard, ongoing process and that is what Henry describes in her book.
There are a lot of complexities to absorb in this story, but life is complex so why shouldn’t fiction reflect that. You also have to totally trust the author in stories of this type. You have to know she will get you to a comfortable place before letting the pages close. Henry is a good author and she gets you there. Still she leaves some issues unresolved and that makes the story all the more believable.
Patti Callahan Henry’s THE ART OF KEEPING SECRETS is not a light fluffy beach book. It is a dramatic story about real people with real problems. It might teach you something about “the art of telling lies” but it will also demonstrate “the art of writing truth.”
THE ART OF KEEPING SECRETS is published by NAL Accent. It contains 384 pages and sells for $14.00.