A Secret Kept

A Secret Kept is the story of a divorced man learning to live again, ironically, through the death of his mother. The story begins when Antoine Rey, a divorced father of three, takes his sister, Melanie, on a birthday trip to an island where they'd spent many happy summers. But when Melanie recalls a forgotten memory, a cascade of events follow, leading, ultimately, to a hidden secret about their long-deceased mother. Themes of family, personal evolution, and death weave delicately in this moving story.
How is it that a novel can begin with death, paste death throughout its pages, and still end with life as a theme? It is an answer you'll have to wait for. You may have to slog through the first 125 pages, you may even curse the show more protagonist, find him repulsive, ridiculous. But that slow burn mirrors the story and its characters in marvelous and unexpected ways. Well worth the wait. The Gois Passage will thread into your heart in waves of life-giving water. More than anything, A Secret Kept illustrates the strength and resilience of the human heart. The ability to submerge, go deeper into the heart of our lives, our fears and weaknesses, and emerge reborn. It is the story of baptism, of resurrection. show less

A Secret Kept makes much of the secret about Clarisse, Antoine and Mélanie's mother; however, at heart it is a novel about relationships - father, brother, son, lover, husband, employee and even mother and sister. How does each relationship change over time? What does each role owe another? The family secret's unveiling is actually the stepping stones for growth. The reader will not find it quite as shocking as Antoine only be because the reader is privy to his growth and healing. In fact, Mélanie's ultimate fear at the truth only highlights Antoine's bravery.

The characters in A Secret Kept are so honest and so realistic, that one feels part of the Rey family. Antoine with his pain and grief at his divorce, Mélanie's fear and desire show more to maintain a happy family appearance, even Angèle with her wisdom and street sense - each character adds their own unique perspective on life that ultimately helps not only Antoine but the reader as well. Poignant and touching, Antoine's struggles reiterate the idea that everyone is striving to do a good job in relationships. His struggles are familiar and comforting because the reader understands that everyone struggles with the same things. Because of this, the reader can only cheer on Antoine's successes.

Simon Vance has won multiple awards for his narrating, and within the first few minutes of listening, one can understand why. His voice is soothing and calm and pure ear candy. Yet, there are moments where one questions whether his voice is too soft-spoken. Any curse words are a bit too jarring and unnatural coming from such a sophisticated voice as Vance's. Still, his knowledge of French definitely adds to the entire story, making the reader feel like he or she is truly in France and a part of the story.

Lyrical in its phrasing, picturesque in its descriptions, A Secret Kept is quite evocative. The reader is emotionally drawn into Antoine's narrative, simultaneously applying the same lessons Antoine learns to his or her own life. However, there is a sweet simplicity to the story as well, one that prevents it from becoming overly emotional. The end result is a refreshing look at modern relationships and the age-old struggle to find happiness. show less

A passably written but lackluster novel. The family secret that two adult well-to-do forty-something French siblings attempt to unlock surrounding their deceased mother lacks sufficient dramatic punch. Had the mother been a more developed character in the story (perhaps through flashbacks or through the recollections of other adult characters) greater plot tension might have been achieved. A beach read...not a book of any enduring quality.

I agree with many of the comments made by other Librarything reviewers. This is a good diverting read for the beach/airplane but not very literary. Nevertheless, I think that the character development of Antoine Rey was skillfully handled by the author and that this book is better overall than "Sarah's Key" which I have also read. Ms. De Rosnay can write a good story which entertains us and she is only going to get better. Antoine is a newly divorced father of two struggling with loneliness in his newly single life, and bored and uninspired at work. He takes his sister for a weekend trip to the north coast of France for her birthday. Their stay in the charming resort village awakens mostly happy memories of their holidays there when show more they were young children and their mother was alive. On the long drive back to Paris, the sister remembers something that causes her to lose control of the car and a terrible accident occurs. In the aftermath, Antoine becomes obsessed with the mysterious early death of their mother and searches for answers. The secrets of the Reys family are gradually laid bare.
At the hospital waiting for his sister to come out of surgery, Antoinne meets his new love interest, Angele, and she is, I agree, a contrived silly character...still, amusing.
I suspect that in French the writing may be more skillful. I noticed that in portions of the book the clusters of short sentences appear clumsy but in French that can be utterly charming and natural. In English however, the grammar is dreadful. The translator loves to end sentences with a preposition.
I have now passed the book on to my daughter-in -law and will be interested in her comments. show less

Poor Antoine what a midlife crisis he’s having not only dealing with his own feelings about his divorce, his ex-wife and his children but it seems that everyone around him is having a crisis of their own. Antoine is going through what I think every divorced parent goes through with their children. What is nice is it is from his POV there are so many books out there about what women go through in a divorce it was refreshing to hear the father’s side.

This is the story of a brother and sister trying to remember the life of their mother but this book is so much more than that. It is about the family dynamic and the lies parents tell their kids to keep them happy. Which brings me to the question was Antoine better off knowing about his show more mother’s past? Did it change or fix anything? Did he really achieve any closure?

This was a good book I really liked Antoine and I did leave it caring about him but I just felt like the secret could have gone on being a secret as the revealing of it didn’t seem to really amount to anything.

Beautifully read by, Simon Vance

3 ½ Stars show less

This is another one of those books that I had sitting on my shelf for way too long. My boyfriend got it for me as a Valentine's day gift last year, so, almost a year. :S As I think I've already mentioned, I really enjoy catchy first lines. This book's first line, not so catchy

"I am shown into a small, drab room, and told to sit down and wait."

It doesn't jump out at me. But, I kept reading and I have to say, this is an absolutely amazing novel. Set in France, it starts out with a brother and sister, (Antoine and Melanie) taking a vacation for Melanie's birthday. They are driving back, when suddenly there is an accident. This accident causes the beginning of a new relationship for Antoine, the unveiling of long kept family secrets, and show more the small steps toward healing for Antoine and his own children.

Of all the characters, I enjoyed Margaux and Angele the most. Margaux is Antoine's daughter, and for much of the novel she is a silent, sullen, typical teenager. But throughout the novel she grows into a more thoughtful, mature young woman. She has to deal with a lot of life changing events in a short time, and for the most part, she handles them exceptionally well.

Angele is Antoine's new love interest. They meet at the hospital where Melanie has to stay for a few weeks after her accident. Angele is a mortician, who is good at what she does. She cares for her patients with a great deal of dignity and sensitivity. Despite her serious job, she has a good head on her shoulders. She is strong, sexy, confident, and has an ironic sense of humor.

There are a lot of little random personal connections, to friends and also to other books that jumped out at me while reading. Antoine's birthday is January 7th, which is the same date as my best friend's birthday.

Antoine and Melanie's mothers' name is Clarisse, and when I read that, Silence of the Lambs instantly jumped into my head even though I've never seen any of that franchise of movies.

Early on in the book, there is mention of a character being from Uppsala, which is located in Sweden. I just finished reading The Girl With A Dragon Tattoo a few weeks back, and there is mention of Uppsala in that novel as well.

The word "akimbo" is used by one of the characters (I forget which one) and that made me think back to the novel "Dirk Danger Loves Life" that I just finished a week ago. The main character in that novel, Cheeseball, uses the phrase often.

Aside from the various connections, this book is very emotionally gripping. It made me cry and gave me chills. It also has several twists and turns and the plot often keeps you guessing. There's even room for interpretation with one of the main events of the story. It does eventually get explained, but, the suspense that the open ended nature of that event is excellent. show less

Rosnay does a great job of creating a air of mystery about a woman gone - so good, in fact, it reminded me quite a bit of DuMaurier's Rebecca, that adulated young woman who is not whom she seems to be. I found Antoine credible as we follow him through his quest of finding out the truth, struggling with his history and family. The extraneous plots - like his new found wealth and Pauline's death - were, in my mind, unnecessary. Similarly, the theme of death was just too exploited (carcasses, deaths, a mortician... really?) and almost became laughable in the end. However, I really enjoyed the unfolding of the family's relationships and dramas, the uncertainties and the beautiful love story that reshaped a boy and his sister.

A word about show more the English: when I was reading the scenes in Noirmoutier, in particular, I struggled with the words. Having spent all my summers in France, I found it unnatural to read about these memories in English and found myself translating them into French! It is a testimony, I think, of Rosnay's mastery of her two languages and of her ability of transposing a culture into another language. show less