My Mother's Secret: A warm family drama full of humour and heartache

“The trouble with secrets, she thought, is that they start to take over our lives. They take on a life of their own. They change us. They make us change to keep them. And that’s not always a good thing.”

My Mother’s Secret is the twentieth novel by Irish author, Sheila O’Flanagan. Roisin, the eldest of the Sheehan siblings, is insisting that they hold a big surprise garden party for the fortieth wedding anniversary of their parents, Jenny and Pascal, at their Wexford home in Aranbeg. Extended family from both sides are invited. Her brother, Davey is bringing his new girlfriend, Camilla, from Copenhagen, and Roisin’s younger sister, Steffie can easily do quite a bit of work: she doesn’t have a husband and three kids to organise, and running her graphic design business from home isn’t a proper job, after all. Roisin likes to maintain tight control over these affairs (someone has to), managing them with something akin to military precision, and even though Steffie doubts that Jenny will be thrilled about the surprise, she and Davey acquiesce: it’s easier to go along than to argue with Roisin.

But this time, not everything goes according to plan: cousin Carl, currently “on a break” from Bernice, his girlfriend of eight years, attracts the ire of both his mother and Roisin when he brings Summer, a buxom, young aspiring model with cocktail-making talents; the morning’s clear blue sky begins to fill with ominous black clouds; Bernice, invited before the “break”, decides to take up her invitation; as a lightning strike sets fire to a nearby chestnut tree, Roisin’s daughter, Poppy falls out of the apple tree, requiring a dash through the now-flooded roads to the hospital emergency room. As if that’s not enough, Jenny then drops her bombshell.

O’Flanagan gives the reader a believable plot that manages to include extreme weather, a lost engagement ring, a nude model, an apostolic benediction, childhood infatuation, jealousy, resentment, anger, several unplanned pregnancies, a broken arm, more than one big secret, and a twist or two at the end. Her characters are realistic: none is wholly good, and their flaws make them all the more appealing. The exception, perhaps, is Pascal: a more perfect husband is hard to imagine. She gives her characters natural dialogue and some insightful observations: “We all think, Alivia mused, that the older generation lead much duller lives than us, but the truth is that everyone has their own crisis to deal with”

This is a novel with humour and heartache and a believable ending. While the astute reader will have Jenny’s first revelation sussed early on, this does not detract from the enjoyment of the journey. Fans will not be disappointed, and newcomers to O’Flanagan’s work will want to seek out her earlier novels. Heart-warming, entertaining and very enjoyable.

With thanks to The Reading Room and Hachette for this copy to read and review.