Forte Abate’s prose is well-constructed and engaging. The beach, sometimes silent, brooding, sometimes carefree and light is a wonderful character that absorbs and reflects the inner lives of its human occupants. Even now I can see this beach with its stone jetty dotted with fishermen; feel its salty breath on my skin. In this Forte Abate has excelled.
Twelve years after events that changed Stevie’s life forever, we find her creeping under cover of darkness from her marital home and embarking on a journey to reconcile with her past. Days later, alone in a motel in Iowa, Elvis’ Love Me Tender playing on the radio transports her, and us, back to a Long Island beach house where she and her sister Eleanor spent many a happy summer with their aunt and uncle..
While a little too reliant on similes, the prologue is a good one. It transitions nicely into the main story where we are introduced to the main players, all of whom are well-developed and believable...
(Note: Remainder of this review has been omitted due to plot spoilers.)
Reviews
That is until the summer of 1957…Eleanor is now seventeen and Stevie fifteen. What happened that summer is something that has to be kept a secret, or so Aunt Smyrna tells Stevie. Stevie is trapped in a vortex and it is not only destroying her teenage years but carries over into her adult life.
How many lives are altered by one moment in time, one decision made in that moment? How many moments does it take too completely and irreversibly alter one’s life?
To tell you more will ruin what makes this book so great. It is a must buy for your own personal library. In our economy today buying a book can be a luxury. I would buy this book.
Sandra Heptinstall
Five star rating
Whispering Winds Book Review
Title: The Secret of Lies
Author: Barbara Forte Abate
ISBN: 978-160844-418-2
Reviewer: Jennifer Andrew
The Secret of Lies is a character driven novel, which gave the reader insight into the internal struggle of the main character. Stephanie Burke, was trying to regain some happiness in her life after being dragged through the lies of her family. This young woman, who had been forced to grow up in a web of lies, was attempting to make a life for herself.
The novel began with a prologue before the first chapter. The reader is drawn into the feelings of the main character. You realize her state of mind, the turmoil she has endured and the emotional struggle that has her torn apart by what has happened in her life. Within the first chapter, the reader is brought to the beginning of how it all happened.
Conflict lies throughout the book with the main character. Stephanie having to grow up with the guilt surrounding her sister, the ties that she had with her Aunt Smyrna, the deception she held from her mother were all issues battling at Stephanie’s psyche. Struggling to overcome her personal demons, she tried to cope and go on with life.
Barbara Forte Abate resolves the conflict and does not leave the readers hanging. She brought us through an exciting story through the efforts of her main character. To the detriment of Stephanie’s own relationship, she tries to solve her problems alone.
The author brought everything to life and made you feel you were a part of the family. You felt empathy when the relationship between Uncle Cal and Aunt Smyrna slowly started to unravel. You saw through the façade of what began to happen with Eleanor and her coming of age. You are drawn into the story and feel sorry for the chain of events that occured in the story.
The characters jump out at you. They are animated and relatable. Barbara does an amazing job in describing the characters; the setting, Stephanie’s hometown, the people she interacts with, her own family and making it all come together in one satisfying story.
The dialogue was enjoyable and true to life. The words were descriptive and continued to propel the story forward. The Secret of Lies was written in Stephanie’s point of view and the story did not sway from her outlook but continued to flow.
Barbara Forte Abate has written a creative, entertaining story in The Secret of Lies, which makes any reader understand the hidden secrets in any family. Your heart goes out to lovable characters and an appreciation for what is important.
J. Andrew
Freelance Writer and Book Reviewer
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