Book Review – Can You Keep A Secret by Caroline Overington

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Can You Keep A Secret by Caroline Overington is the tale of the life and times of Caitlin, who is an Australian waif, borne of hippy parents on Magnetic Island. Her chance encounter with Colby, an investment banker who lived a Wolf of Wall Street existence until he took a holiday of a lifetime to Australia is where this story picks up. Caitlin was a deckhand on his luxury yacht and their encounter changes both lives forever.

It took me a while to get into this book, the build up to the two main characters meeting was necessary, but I did find myself skimming through a few pages to get to the juicy stuff, which is where the story really gets going. The events of 9/11 are a pivotal change in the journey of these two characters and I felt Caroline wrote about these events accurately, respectfully and with empathy. There was no pulling of heartstrings here, no schmaltz, no dining out on a horror and for that I was thankful. Great writing.

My problem with this book is Caitlin. I hated her, some will feel differently and i’m sure she was designed to be a polarising character. Without giving away too much, I found her annoying, needy and I have never wanted to scream at a character as much as i did with her. However, on reflection, what a great writer! To create a character who sprang into my conscious and wound me up as much as she did.

Caitlin goes in this book, even though she is a made up character!
Caitlin goes in this book, even though she is a made up character!

I did guess the ending, which is always a bit of a shame, but if you loved Gone Girl, you will certainly not be disappointed with this read.

3 stars from me