Secrets We Keep
SECRETS WE KEEP
BY FAITH HOGAN
Two distant relatives, drawn together in companionship are forced to
confront their pasts and learn that some people are good at keeping secrets and
some secrets are never meant to be kept...
Genre:
Women’s Fiction
Release
Date: February 2017 (E-book)
May 2018
(paperback)
Publisher:
Aria Fiction – Head of Zeus
A bittersweet story of love, loss and life. Perfect for fans of Patricia
Scanlan, Adele Parks and Rosamunde Pilcher.
The beautiful old Bath House in Ballytokeep has lain empty and abandoned
for decades. For devoted pensioners Archie and Iris, it holds too many
conflicting memories of their adolescent dalliances and tragic consequences –
sometimes it’s better to leave the past where it belongs.
For highflying, top London divorce lawyer Kate
Hunt, it’s a fresh start – maybe even her future. On a winter visit to see her
estranged Aunt Iris she falls in love with the Bath House. Inspired, she moves
to Ballytokeep leaving her past heartache 600 miles away – but can you ever
escape your past or your destiny?
Extract
from Secrets We Keep by Faith Hogan
‘I’ve never seen anything like it,’ Kate said. It was her first thought
as they turned down the cove and saw the bathhouse snuggled into the cliff
face. It was a turreted, stocky grown-ups sandcastle. ‘It could have been
emptied from a child’s bucket,’ was her first reaction. It had been painted,
white with a light blue trim once, then the waves and the spray had all but
washed that away. It still sat proudly, if shabbily, on a huge flat rock, that
upturned in a lip over the sea. It was a plate, large enough for any giant.
‘Genesis Rock – it’s a metamorphic rock, probably over a thousand
million years old,’ Rita said. ‘Sorry, did I mention I taught geography and
home economics, once upon a time.’
‘No, but I probably should have guessed.’
‘I don’t remember the bathhouse even being open. I could imagine that
I’d have spent all my days here if I had.’ Rita looked at the washed white
walls that reached high into the cliff face.
‘Well, Archie said they ran it for a few years, but he didn’t say when
it shut.’ This place probably held sadness for Archie, if his brother died
here. Kate couldn’t feel it. Instead, it made her feel energized, as though the
sea was spraying something like an invitation deep into her lungs. It made her
heart pound with an expectation she hadn’t felt in years. Even the deserted
castle keep that loomed up in grey stone at the tip of the headland seemed to
carry a hopeful secret in its towers.
‘It must have been lovely once. Even now, you can see.’ Rita rested her
hands on the thick window ledge, her nose pressed firmly to the cold glass of
the windows. ‘It looks like they just closed up one evening and never came
back.’
Kate walked to the back of the bathhouse; it dug into the cliff face, as
though the construction of one depended on the other. Alongside the building, a
small narrow road clung to the cliff for a couple of hundred yards before it
feathered off onto what counted as a main road in these parts. Far below, the
waves lapped serenely against the stone. It was low tide now; Kate wondered how
close the water actually came to the rock. ‘I’d love to get a look inside.’
Rita followed her round to the front of the bathhouse. They peered through a
sea sprayed window for a few minutes. Inside, Kate could see there were tables
and chairs, a small stove and an old-fashioned counter where once someone had
taken orders for afternoon tea. ‘It’s a little café, wouldn’t it be lovely if
it was open for coffee?’ Kate mused, it was so much more than just a bathhouse.
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Honestly, I did not expect to like this book as much as I did. From the start it is a pleasant, interesting book, as much as reading about family turmoil may be. Then I grew invested in the characters, both past and present. Like most, I had strong feelings and an initial prejudice against certain male figures in the story. I felt bad for the women and their circumstances, lost opportunities, prejudices of the times. Those same women taught me not to judge too soon. They may have felt sad and carried regret but they never gave up and gave in.
The writing is remarkable, giving time and place as much a role in the story as the protagonists.
When Kate felt the pull of Ballytokeep, I could feel it also. When she decided that a certain handsome neighbor should remain her close friend, I felt a sense of loss as well.
Family secrets carry over for generations, the consequences lingering rather than acknowledged.
I rather wish I had some ancestors or distant relatives I was not aware of until later in life!
With a romantic and wishful quality to it, this makes for a great escape read any time of year.
I feel various ages and genders can be drawn into the story and get different things from it.
A beautiful tale of woe and forgiveness and staying true to ones dreams.
The writing is remarkable, giving time and place as much a role in the story as the protagonists.
When Kate felt the pull of Ballytokeep, I could feel it also. When she decided that a certain handsome neighbor should remain her close friend, I felt a sense of loss as well.
Family secrets carry over for generations, the consequences lingering rather than acknowledged.
I rather wish I had some ancestors or distant relatives I was not aware of until later in life!
With a romantic and wishful quality to it, this makes for a great escape read any time of year.
I feel various ages and genders can be drawn into the story and get different things from it.
A beautiful tale of woe and forgiveness and staying true to ones dreams.
Already an international best seller, Faith Hogan is an original
voice in women’s fiction, she has been hailed as a Maeve Binchey for a new
generation. Her stories are warm and rooted in a contemporary Irish landscape
which has lost none of its wit or emotion thanks to its modern vibe.
Faith Hogan was born in Ireland.
She gained an Honours Degree in English Literature and Psychology from
Dublin City University and a Postgraduate Degree from University College,
Galway. She has worked as a fashion
model, an event’s organiser and in the intellectual disability and mental
health sector.
She was a winner in the 2014 Irish Writers Centre Novel Fair – an
international competition for emerging writers.
‘Secrets We Keep,’ is her
second novel published with Aria Fiction. Her first, My Husbands Wives has been
a top ten best seller and is currently available in paperback.
Twitter:
@gerhogan
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