The Sisterhood
A Secret Escape by Sarah Morgan is a perfectly delightful contemporary novel that I adored. This is a book about friendship and love and family.
We see that life can be a complicated affair but family should be faithful and provide a cocoon from life. We drop in on a multi-generational female family who all love and support each other. We see that patterns have a habit of repeating down the generations.
Parenting can be hard, especially when our children are grown up and we cannot ‘fix’ life for them. “It’s the hardest thing about being a parent. You can’t fix everything.” And no matter how old your child is “when your child suffers, you suffer too.”
The love within a family provides a secure base for life. We see that not all families provide a foundation of love. “She envied her friend Milly who never had to earn praise or affection.” Love should be freely given but one mother seems unable to have the capacity to love. Her grown up daughter laments “maybe it’s me…Maybe I’m just the kind of person people leave.” All her life “she was determined to be the child her mother would be proud of, but how?” It does seem that there are just some cold fish in the love department. All her life a character tried to earn her mother’s love. The fault lies with the mother and not the daughter.
In contrast her friend Milly’s family have love in abundance. Their love extends to include all, especially a heart crying out for love. She was “desperate for any evidence that I was worth loving.”
We witness characters searching for their identity. “Who was she when she wasn’t being a mother, a grandmother or a daughter?” As the nest is empty, new hobbies need to be sought so that a character can discover just who she is.
We cannot influence how people behave. “However they choose to behave, you can choose to be okay.” We are in control of our response but not the actions of others.
There is a beautiful definition of friendship. “Friendship isn’t transactional… No payment required.” No matter how many years or miles separate, true friendships pick up where they left off.
Characters strive for happiness. Wealth doesn’t bring it. Fame doesn’t bring it. True happiness is found in people and in the simple things of life. “I want what I have.”
The backdrop to the novel is the beautiful Lake District. The freshness of the wild outdoors comes across to the reader.
Whilst there are some serious themes, the tone is light-hearted and very humorous at times. All the characters were wonderful, warm and welcoming.
I thoroughly enjoyed A Secret Escape. I always enjoy Sarah Morgan’s novels.
I received a free copy. A favourable review was not required. All opinions are my own.
JULIA WILSON