Trudging through
In the hands of a better writer this could be a great first novel rather than just average. The author's style reminds me of the repeat novels of many of today's mass produced authors, full of cliche and soppy sentiment.
It's not that the plot isn't good and you do get a good sense of the characters and life in war torn Sierra Leone but the writing got in the way of my fully enjoying this novel. If I didn't feel a commitment to finish it I would have closed it mid-sentence and moved on.
Rated of 5
by Beth, Savannah, GA (Savannah GA)
Didn't Work for Me
I just couldn't get excited about this book. I love thrillers and particularly enjoy debut authors and thought the journalistic perspective and exotic locale would make a special book. And Harris tried. He really tried, but I think he's still more of a journalist than a novelist and never made me care about the characters or the story line. Even though things got pretty exciting toward the end, "Secret Keeper" just didn't work for me.
Rated of 5
by Laura (Atlanta GA)
The Secret Keeper
While I had a hard time putting this book down, I can't say that I liked it. The story line, which focuses on a reporter's efforts to investigate the murder of his former lover who is caught up in a civil war in Sierra Leone, is compelling, and its tensions are well developed. The characters, while not particularly likable, are quite human and appropriately motivated. However, the writing is too flabby and casual for this high tension story. Harris is particularly fond of the verb-less description posing as a sentence, and sometimes strings 6 or 7 together in a distracting way. The stylistic devise of switching between two time periods to tell the story is confusing at times. On several occasions, I had to flip back to the beginning of a chapter to determine whether I was in the 2000 or 2004 segment of the story. Tighter writing would have turned this book into a first-rate thriller.
Rated of 5
by Betsey (Austin TX)
Educational but inconsistently executed
The best thing about this book is the information revealed about the politics and dire social circumstances in Sierra Leone during the civil war (and the post-war deceptions of its leaders). The story had potential, but the characters were one-dimensional, obvious. Also, too much prose was focused on the main protagonist's alcoholism and narcissism, and the tone of the narrative was a bit off. It didn't match the seriousness of the story.
The author is a journalist--it was apparent in the execution of the novel. The author seemed to digress into a journalistic delivery at intervals, especially when he was imparting the socio-political details.
There were some nice metaphors and imagery. It just didn't add up to a juicy tale. The climax was bathetic and too foreshadowed.
Rated of 5
by Nancy (Hobe Sound FL)
A very good story overall
The basic story within the covers of The Secret Keeper is quite good, dealing with the aftermath and the effects of war in Sierra Leone. The civil war there and its casualties (in all senses of the word) make for interesting reading. The twist in the story was quite unexpected, and made for a bit of an "aha" at the end. However, the characters in this book seemed a bit flat, one-dimensional and were people I really cared nothing about.
The author is a journalist who spent a lot of time in Africa and actually covered the conflict there. He might consider writing a nonfictional account of his experiences -- they would probably come off as being more realistic.
I would probably only recommend it to people who want to know more about the politics and conflict in Sierra Leone. The story he's trying to tell is a good one and should be heard.
Rated of 5
by Joe (Port Orange FL)
The Secret Keeper
When I started this book I was very excited and started each chapter with much anticipation. However, after a few chapters I started losing my enthusiasm and began getting confused. As the book began jumping back and forth from 2000 to 2004 I found myself looking back and forth trying to figure out what year it was supposed to be. The author appears to be very knowledgeable of the subject matter but just couldn't put it into a format that I could understand and enjoy. By the time I got to the last chapter the story line had become tedious and I had lost all sympathy for the main character and just wanted the book to end.
Rated of 5
by Kate (Arvada CO)
Strong story, average writing
The story is interesting and fast paced. There are some nice twists and unexpected occurrences in the novel. That being said, I felt like I was reading a "novice" writer. In the hands of a more experienced author, I feel like it could have great potential. I liked the story but was a bit disappointed by the writing.
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of 5
by Shelby (Hamden CT)
