What do you think?
Rate this book
Secrets Keep
The trouble with Caitlin is that she's obsessed with her work as a crime reporter. And troubled by it. The scenes she writes about stay with her when she's in bed with her husband at night and when she's driving the children to school in the morning.Things go from bad to worse when Caitlin's older brother disappears. Not only is the era ire extended family thrown into a crisis, but the closer they become and the more they learn about each other, including a startling revelation about a hushed-up family suicide, the more uncomfortable they feel.
All in all Caitlin's is probably a typical Salt Lake City family. But Linda Sillitoe peels back layers of pretense in a story that begins like a dream that one remembers only well enough to be unnerved by. For Caitlin, it is a nightmare that has become real.
All in all Caitlin's is probably a typical Salt Lake City family. But Linda Sillitoe peels back layers of pretense in a story that begins like a dream that one remembers only well enough to be unnerved by. For Caitlin, it is a nightmare that has become real.
284 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 1995
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
August 17, 2018
I picked up this book along with a poetry book by the same author at the sales tables at Sunstone 2018. I've read lots of Mormon / Utah fiction, and I have to say that this book is unique in that it’s a detective novel with an emphasis on magical realism and indigenous medicine.
Each chapter is written from the perspective of one of the characters in the novel, namely Caitlin and her siblings along with three or four other ancillary characters. Sillitoe did not invent this technique, but it works well in this novel.
Marly, one of Caitlin's sisters, is perhaps my favorite character in the book. A bit of a free spirit, she lives alone in an apartment in downtown Salt Lake City and walks or rides buses to her job at the public library and elsewhere around town. She dresses in an eccentric manner, tying her long hair back in a haphazard manner, and she plays the organ in her local ward or congregation. Like her sister Caitlin, she has a special ability to see things most people can't see, and she routinely sends anonymous notes to her bishop advising him on who in the ward is in special need of his attention.
There are a couple of major plot points in the book which are never resolved to my satisfaction, particularly one involving Roger, Caitlin's brother. But Sillitoe has created here a realistic extended Utah family with believable family dynamics revolving mostly around their relationship to their native Mormonism. I highly recommend the book to those interested in a realistic portrayal of life in a contemporary Mormon family.
Each chapter is written from the perspective of one of the characters in the novel, namely Caitlin and her siblings along with three or four other ancillary characters. Sillitoe did not invent this technique, but it works well in this novel.
Marly, one of Caitlin's sisters, is perhaps my favorite character in the book. A bit of a free spirit, she lives alone in an apartment in downtown Salt Lake City and walks or rides buses to her job at the public library and elsewhere around town. She dresses in an eccentric manner, tying her long hair back in a haphazard manner, and she plays the organ in her local ward or congregation. Like her sister Caitlin, she has a special ability to see things most people can't see, and she routinely sends anonymous notes to her bishop advising him on who in the ward is in special need of his attention.
There are a couple of major plot points in the book which are never resolved to my satisfaction, particularly one involving Roger, Caitlin's brother. But Sillitoe has created here a realistic extended Utah family with believable family dynamics revolving mostly around their relationship to their native Mormonism. I highly recommend the book to those interested in a realistic portrayal of life in a contemporary Mormon family.
August 4, 2010
When Roger disappears, his wife and parents are certain it was foul play. Why would he leave his beautiful family and great accounting job?
His sister, Marly, isn't completely suprised he left. She thinks the reason will be found in uncovering the details of an old family secret. And she has a secret of her own.
Caitlin agrees with her sister, Marly, and puts her investigative reporting skills to work, in between her work on a murder case.
A third sister, Barbara, doesn't want to uncover any secrets. She just wants to keep her perfect life the way it is.
This was really well written and I'm glad I read it. The author is Bill's aunt and this is the first book of hers I've read. I debated between a PG and a PG 13 rating, and I think I'm going to go with PG 13 for language, violence, and sex. I wouldn't recommend it to everyone, but if you read The Kite Runner and enjoyed it, you would probably enjoy this book.
His sister, Marly, isn't completely suprised he left. She thinks the reason will be found in uncovering the details of an old family secret. And she has a secret of her own.
Caitlin agrees with her sister, Marly, and puts her investigative reporting skills to work, in between her work on a murder case.
A third sister, Barbara, doesn't want to uncover any secrets. She just wants to keep her perfect life the way it is.
This was really well written and I'm glad I read it. The author is Bill's aunt and this is the first book of hers I've read. I debated between a PG and a PG 13 rating, and I think I'm going to go with PG 13 for language, violence, and sex. I wouldn't recommend it to everyone, but if you read The Kite Runner and enjoyed it, you would probably enjoy this book.
March 28, 2008
Really interesting look at LDS life, an insider who wants to be an outsider POV. Does that make sense?
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews