From a fresh and exciting new voice in women’s fiction, The Language of Secrets unflinchingly examines the lifelong repercussions of a father’s betrayal.Justin Fisher has a successful career as the manager of a luxury hotel, a lovely wife, and a charming young son. While all signs point to a bright future, Justin can no longer ignore the hole in his life left by his estranged family. When he finally gathers the courage to reconnect with his troubled past, Justin is devastated to learn that his parents have passed away. And a visit to the cemetery brings the greatest shock of all—next to the graves of his father and mother sits a smaller tombstone for a three-year-old boy: a boy named Thomas Justin Fisher.
What follows is an extraordinary journey as Justin struggles with issues of his own identity and pieces together the complex and heartbreaking truth about his family. With great skill and care, Dianne Dixon explores the toll that misunderstandings, blame, and resentment can take on a family. But it is the intimate details of family life—a mother’s lullaby for her son, a father’s tragic error in judgment—that make this novel so exceptional and an absolute must for reading groups everywhere.
The Language of Secrets is the story of an unspeakable loss born of human frailty and an ultimate redemption born of human courage.
“Justin has come in search of his father’s grave. And he had found his mother’s. And his own.” pg. 11
Books are there to tell you a story; to take you into the lives of some fictional characters; to escape your own life for a time. A book that completely captures your imagination and keeps you up until all hours of the night reading is what makes for a great book. The Language of Secrets did that for me. This story had me under a spell from the beginning (especially by the end of chapter 2) that I could not go to sleep until I had finished the novel. I started it at about 5pm EST and finished it around 1am EST. I was so absorbed in this literary mystery right along with the main character, trying to piece things together and figure out what actually happened in his life.
Justin Fisher moved back to the USA from London to accept a new job. Being back in the area he remembers growing up in gives him the courage to finally face his past and his memories. He has vague images of his parents, and of where he used to live in California. He hasn’t seen them in over 30 years.
Yes – you read that right. He has not seen nor spoken to his parents in over 30 years. Justin sets out to find answers to his past, of who he was, and of who he is as a man today.
The story is told in alternating voices and timelines each chapter, with headers letting the reader know who is narrating the chapter and when it is taking place. It is mainly from the POVs of Justin and his biological mother, Caroline. The chapters correlate well with each other. As Justin searches his past, with the help of a psychiatrist friend and private detective, Caroline’s chapters reveal the “real story” of what happened to Justin. And, it is not a pretty story.
I was appalled at the actions of some of these characters. I was enraged, furious. And I felt for little 3 year old Justin. My heart ached for him and broke for him. What he must have suffered through is beyond my comprehension. No wonder he is such a tortured man 30 years later.
This book will keep you on the edge of your seat (or bed!) until the final, shocking page is read. As soon as you think you know the story, the author throws that very last page in there and gives the reader a last gasp as the book closes. Literally, I gasped out loud and I’m pretty sure my chin hit the floor. It truly was the perfect ending.
Do you hear a BUT coming? Yeah, it’s coming and here it is.
I felt that some issues went unresolved in the story. Justin’s relationship with his siblings, for example. I would have liked to have seen a better resolution of those issues, because there is a lot of story to be explored there and I really felt like a big hole was missing in the book because of it. I kept waiting, wondering how it would be resolved and….nothing happened. I was really disappointed. This book is so wonderful and engaging that it would nudged my review up to the 5 star mark had that issue been addressed.
Loved this book and definitely recommend it.
Did you read it, Jenny?
Did you read it, Jenny?