Customer Reviews

The Art of Keeping Secrets

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Annabelle Murphy has spent the last two years recovering from the death of her husband, Knox, who lost his life while flying alone in his plane on his way to go hunting...or so she believes. As she grieves and tries to balance her longing for him with her present life, her friends in South Carolina's Low Country surround her with love. In particular, Knox's best friend, Shawn, has stepped in to comfort Annabelle. Her life still has a "Knox-shaped emptiness," but she also has her children --- 16-year-old Keeley and college student Jake --- and her job as an advice columnist.

She is just recovering some of her equilibrium after the tragedy when the town sheriff arrives with startling news. They have finally found Knox's plane, which had gone down in the Colorado wilderness, and his body is there. Although Annabelle has known that Knox surely died, the finality horrifies her. But she is stunned when the sheriff reveals that her husband was not alone when he perished. A woman's corpse was also discovered inside his plane!

Annabelle is humiliated, dazed, and hurt beyond words. She has no idea who would have accompanied Knox on his hunting trip. Or was he even actually going hunting? Had his solitary hunting trips been a cover-up for an affair all those years? Suddenly, she has doubts about the most basic cornerstone of her life --- her loving, solid marriage. None of her and Knox's friends can explain the mysterious lady, and everyone is shocked and disbelieving that Knox would stray.

The story is about to hit the newspaper. Annabelle must tell her children the cruel news, which leads them to question who their father really was. Annabelle finds herself unable to decide if she should continue to have faith in her memory of her loving husband, in the face of what seems to be irrefutable evidence that he strayed.

Meanwhile, a young woman named Sofie Milstead in Newboro, North Carolina, studies dolphins at a research center. In spite of her relationship with her much older boyfriend, the dolphins are her one true love. The endearing mammals offer Sofie peace in a life filled with sorrow, lies and secrets. She has been so indoctrinated with the need to keep the real facts about her life hidden that she herself sometimes has problems discerning between the truth and the fiction of her past.

An art historian named Michael Harley begins hounding Sofie for answers about an artist he believes may be connected to Sofie's mother through her art studio. This is upsetting to Sofie, but not nearly so much as encountering a person from her past --- someone who expects Sofie to share her memories of Knox Murphy. How can she talk about him without telling of those forbidden truths? It's impossible.

In a lyrical voice, Patti Callahan Henry seamlessly weaves an intriguing mystery from the separate strands of Annabelle and Sofie's lives, while invoking the wonder of their seaside surroundings. Each character is multilayered, with believable emotions that arise as long-hidden secrets come to light. Riveting to the end, the plot twists and turns, giving us a complex enigma to puzzle over, along with a poignant exploration of the very nature of faith and love.

--- Reviewed by Terry Miller Shannon

I purchased this book for the beach based on liking Between the Tides. Although the story was OK, the dialogue kept driving me batty. The characters ALL spoke formally and with all of these cliche words of wisdom. It was hard to feel empathy for the characters when their dialogue was so artificial and flat.

As we in the South politely describe a mediocre experience, reading this book was "pleasant." The Art of Keeping Secrets had enough intrigue to keep me reading, but the characterization - which I usually find to be the strong point of southern writers - was a little weak.

I have not read any of Patti Callahan Henry's books -- this was my first. I was in a Nashville bookstore when she was there for a booksigning and bought it. I wasn't sure why I bought it or how I'd like it but I am glad I did. Once I started reading, I couldn't put it down. It reminded me a little of Adriana Trigiani's books (I've read them all). Since the previous reviewer doesn't think this is her best work, I can't wait to buy another one!

I really enjoyed this book. This is the first time I have read a book by this author and I will read more. I liked the characters. The plot was not predictable and I found it to be a real page turner. The ending was not a disappointment either. If you are a fan of southern writers like I am I think you will enjoy this one.

Annabelle Murphy's husband Knox was presumed killed in a small plane crash, but his body was never found. Though their marriage was not perfect, it was happy and Annabelle and her children have learned to deal with the loss of a husband and father in their individual ways. Two years later Knox's plane and body is recovered along with the body of another woman, and Annabelle and her family are forced to reevaluate their relationships with Knox while looking for answers to the questions surrounding his death.

Annabelle's search for the other woman forces her to cross paths with Sofie Milstead, a young marine biologist who better relates to dolphins than to humans. Sofie has secrets of her own, which Annabelle must learn in order to unravel the mystery of her husband's secret life.

The Art of Keeping Secrets is a well-written story about family, friendship, and trust. The character of Sofie is particularly strong, and I wish that more of the chapters had been devoted to her. The end to me was ultimately unsatisfying, but that could be because I think would have felt differently in the end than Annabelle did. On the other hand, that means this is a good book: it gives you lots to think and talk about even when the story is finished.

This is my favorite book, so far, from Patti Callahan Henry. The main character believed entirely in her marriage and her husband died in a plane crash. I don't want to be a spoiler, so I'll just say that events led her to wonder if her marriage was quite what she thought it was. The characters in this novel were wonderfully complex. The scenes were beautifully drawn. The writing reminded me of Dorothea Benton Frank (though not as funny) and Anne Rivers Siddons. If you like either of these authors, you'll love this novel by Henry.

Patti Callahan Henry has done it again! The Art of Keeping Secrets is a sumptuous feast for the soul that explores the issues of faith, trust, uncertainty and forgiveness. In doing so it captures the essence of what often lies hidden in each of our hearts. Henry's prose positively dances on the page. I'm in awe.

Jackie Lee Miles, author of
Divorcing Dwayne
Cold Rock River
Roseflower Creek

I truly was excited about reading this book and wanted to like it as much as "Between the Tides". I will skip a plot narrative as that has been addressed by the previous reviewer. Suffice to say, it just didn't "grab" me. Being a native of the Lowcountry, I found it a bit contrived and the character development lacking. I simply could not identify or truly care about the characters although the plot was capable of good character development. Let's hope her next effort is better.

I have to say I enjoyed the story line, but I listened to it on audiobook and whoever cast the narrators should be fired! They made me care less about the characters, who sounded like they were on valium. No emotion or inflection at all. The voice of Sophie was droll and boring, Annabelle sounded stupid! It was torture listening to it, but I hung in there because I like the story.