Review: The Secret of Lies by Barbara Forte Abate

Synopsis:
Propelled by an insurmountable sense of desperation, Stevie Burke is recklessly abandoning home, husband, and outwardly contented life under cover of night; at last resigned to defeat in her long battle against the tortured memories of her past.

Days later, lost and floundering in a dreary motel room without plan or destination, it is a long ago song playing on the radio that gently tugs Stevie back through the dust of remembrance. 1957 - The last summer spent at the ancient house overlooking the North Atlantic. A season which had unfolded with abundant promise, but then spiraled horribly out of control - torn apart by a shattering tragedy that remains splintered in fragments upon her soul. And it is only now, when Stevie at last lifts her eyes to stare deep into the heart of her long sequestered memories, that the long held secrets of past and future are at last unveiled.

Review:
This is a beautifully told tale of a girl's journey down the twisted path of her life. In this book you get to see the good and the bad. All the things that shape a child into an adult.

You first meet Stevie as an adult, basically running from her own life. At this point it is unclear what the reason is, but you get the idea that she places the blame on herself. She hears a song on the radio that triggers the memories of her past. The story is truly about her journey from a teenager TO the lost and broken woman in the hotel.

The first part is her remembering the summers she spent with her sister at their aunt & uncle's beach house. She experiences so many amazing things, but one year events take a horrible turn. The second part you get to see Stevie at her own home. Followed by all the events leading up to her flight from her husband. She discovers that old guilt and blame never have positive results. While reading, I got to watch Stevie grow up, and be a part of her life. I was sad to see it end.

The story slowly unfolds like honey from a jar. I really felt like I got to know Stevie, maybe better than she knew herself, during the course of reading The Secret of Lies.

Publication Date: April 21, 2010
Genre: Coming-of-Age Fiction, Adult Fiction
Source: Thanks so much to the author, Barbara Forte Abate, for my review copy!