Hidden by Catherine McKenzie is a
pretty fast read, which is a good thing, because not much happens in the book
and the characters did not garner my sympathy whatsoever. Jeff is married
to Claire and is having an affair with Tish. In a freak accident he is
struck by a car and killed. Tish shows up at the funeral and Claire
senses something is not right.
This happens early in the book and the
rest of the book is told from the viewpoints of all three of the above
characters, in alternating chapters. This was confusing because it was
sometimes difficult to tell which person was talking, and the retelling
included past as well as recent history.
Tish’s husband is almost a
non-character except for the fact that he is a good provider and there seems to
be no discord in their marriage. We learn that Claire had an intense
affair with Jeff’s brother during college but that ended and later when Jeff
and Claire meet up again, they decided to get married.
Overall I felt the characters were
selfish and shallow. The only merit to the book was in the questions
raised about truth telling and secret keeping. When does one keep a
secret in order to keep another person from being hurt? What is the
benefit in truth telling if all it does is cause pain?
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