Have you ever had one those “kid-intense” days that led you to a second glass of wine, maybe even a third? I know I have. But I never imagined the unintended consequences when such an occurrence becomes a practice. This is the premise of Amy Hatvany’s thought-provoking novel, Best Kept Secret.
It is the story of Cadence Sutter – what a name – a writer for the Seattle Herald who, upon the birth of her first son, Charlie, quit the paper to become a full-time mom and a freelance jounalist. It was love at first sight with Charlie, and Cadence set out to be the perfect mom.
Along the way, Cadence’s husband has an affair and she divorces him. Full-time motherhood takes over with no time or energy for writing and money running short. Two glasses of wine a night turns into two bottles a night and the downward spiral into alcoholism takes over. A two day binge leads Cadence to rehab, along with the loss of her child to CPS. To make matters more heartbreaking, Cadence’s ex sues for custody of Charlie.
It is here that Cadence’s journey to recovery – of her sobriety, her life and Charlie – begins. This is a fast, but painful and haunting, read. Amy Hatvany tell an all-to-true story of motherhood – the challenge to be the perfect mother, keep all the balls in the air, and make it look totally effortless.
This is a great book – definitely not a mindless summer read, no fluff here – but such a reality read! This is definitely one of the better books of 2011.
Simon and Schuster provided a review copy of this book. All opinions are my own.
What are you reading and where are you going?
I am not a big drinker. I’ve just never developed a taste for it. I’d rather have Dr. Pepper. However, my ex-husband constantly struggles with not turning to alcohol to escape his problems. I will have to pick this one up for sure.
This book has been on my must read list for a while, and after your review I know I need to just buy it already!
Terrific review, Andrea! Amy Hatvany is such a lovely person.
great read! thank you for recommending it!!
Your Comments i wan!t every one read this
[...] of one mother’s descent into alcoholism and her recovery. A great read. My review is here. You still have plenty of time to read it before January 26th! Amy’s guest post is [...]