A Secret Kept: Summary and book reviews of A Secret Kept by Tatiana de Rosnay, plus links to an excerpt from A Secret Kept and a biography of Tatiana de Rosnay.

This stunning novel from Tatiana de Rosnay, author of the acclaimed New York Times bestseller Sarah's Key, plumbs the depths of complex family relationships and the power of a past secret to change everything in the present. It all began with a simple seaside vacation, a brother and sister recapturing their childhood.  Antoine Rey thought he had the perfect surprise for his sister Mélanie's birthday: a weekend by the sea at Noirmoutier Island, where the pair spent many happy childhood summers playing on the beach.  It had been too long, Antoine thought, since they'd returned to the island - over thirty years, since their mother died and the family holidays ceased.  But the island's haunting beauty triggers more than happy memories; it reminds Mélanie of something unexpected and deeply disturbing about their last island summer.  When, on the drive home to Paris, she finally summons the courage to reveal what she knows to Antoine, her emotions overcome her and she loses control of the car. Recovering from the accident in a nearby hospital, Mélanie tries to recall what caused her to crash.  Antoine encounters an unexpected ally: sexy, streetwise Angèle, a mortician who will teach him new meanings for the words life, love and death.  Suddenly, however, the past comes swinging back at both siblings, burdened with a dark truth about their mother, Clarisse. Trapped in the wake of a shocking family secret shrouded by taboo, Antoine must confront his past and also his troubled relationships with his own children.  How well does he really know his mother, his children, even himself?  Suddenly fragile on all fronts as a son, a husband, a brother and a father, Antoine Rey will learn the truth about his family and himself the hard way. By turns thrilling, seductive and destructive, with a lingering effect that is bittersweet and redeeming, A Secret Kept is the story of a modern family, the invisible ties that hold it together, and the impact it has throughout life. Browse an excerpt

Some of the recent comments posted about A Secret Kept. Join the discussion! You can see the full discussion here.

Did you find the novel morbid?
I think the desire to learn the 'secret' is very much in keeping with how the family (or our perception) of it helps us define who we are. Death is just another step on how we better understand ourselves through others. - mary

Did you like the character of the sexy, streewise mortician Angèle Rouvatier?
I loved this character. Her personality too, was before her time. She had the unusual ability to think and do as she pleased, thanks to the fact that she had no family to whom she had to answer for her actions. In that day and time she was... - ruthd

Do you see any parallels between the author's descriptions of the Gois Passage and the story as a whole?
I believe that the Gois Passage in the story was an important vehicle for the building of the entire story. It was intended to be a romantic setting for remembering good times (per Antoine). However, Melanie's memories were quite different than... - ruthd

Do you think Antoine will ever get through to his father?
I think so much distance excisted between the two men that neither one of them could bridge the gap let alone discuss the issue of Clarisse. - djn

Do you think Blanche told Francois about Clarisse's affair?
I think one of the interesting aspects of this book was the number of "secrets kept" and how many unanswered questions there were. This is just another one. - djn

Do you think family secrets should be revealed or hidden forever?
I believe there are some personal/family secrets that should remain as such. This is especially true, IMO, if those secrets would be hurtful, especially to the living, but also to the memory of those who have died. Sometimes secrets do come out... - Lea Ann

Do you think you would react more like Melanie or Antoine?
Antoine was much more realistic and honest in his reaction. Even our parents are human and we need to love them with all of their flaws. The truth might be difficult, but it's better than hiding. Remember what happened in "Sarah's Key" because of... - lynnw

How did you feel about the authors constant use of questions?
I was taken with the constant use of questions and it just kept reminding me of how many questions we must all have about family dynamics...and how we deal with them... - djn

How different do you think this story would be if it were set in the USA?
I think that if set in the early 20th century, in a moneyed family, there might not be any difference in the guarding of the secret. In our society too, there was at that time a mantra of "we take care of our own". We don't wash dirty linen in... - ruthd

Overall, what did you think of The Secret Kept?
I thought that it was an interesting book, had not read her first novel. But the revelations could have been more suspenseful really. - blacksnake

Similarities between Sarah's Key and A Secret Kept
Both books center around siblings who are very close despite different sexes. The older sibling in each story is protective of the younger one and both find an unexpected result of their attempt to make something special occur - protection in the... - shirleyf

What did you think of Antoine?
I completely agree with Joyce S. Antoine was vulnerable, closed off, stymied and confused at his inability to make a life that he felt was worthwhile. I admired his tenacity in pursuing the truth about his family, no matter how scary the unknown... - judyb

What kind of woman was Clarisse Rey?
Clarisse Rey was out of her element socially, and probably felt like an outsider all the time. She didn't receive any warmth from her husband or his family. Hence, she accidentally found another outlet for herself in a time period when... - ruthd

BookBrowse

If you like your thought-provoking books with a dose of energetic plot, you'll want to read A Secret Kept. Set in France, both in Paris and Noirmoutier, an island off the east coast of France... I was thoroughly engrossed and finished the book in two days. There was never a false note, and never a dull moment.  (Reviewed by Beverly Melven).

Full Review (977 words).

Media Reviews

USA Today - Jocelyn McClurg Secret has its pleasures; de Rosnay (whose literary heroine is Daphne du Maurier) knows how to keep you hooked, and it's entertaining to watch her sympathetic French characters grapple with their Gallic angst. But this novel is a mere bonbon compared with Sarah's Key's rich feast.   Kirkus Reviews The story of an emotionally distant family as it struggles to come to grips with changing dynamics and the mysterious death of a young mother many years ago[...] De Rosnay's writing is eloquent and beautiful, and her characterizations are both honest and dead-on.   Publishers Weekly This perceptive portrait of a middle-aged man's delayed coming-of-age rates as a seductive, suspenseful, and trés formidable keeper. Erica Bauermeister, author of The School of Essential Ingredients A Secret Kept is a beautiful and haunting exploration of wanting - and not wanting - to understand one's past, of learning to see parents as individuals, whether the parents in question are our own or ourselves. Diane Chamberlain, author of Summer's Child In A Secret Kept, Tatiana de Rosnay takes us on a journey to that haunted place where the past seeps into the present, where memory appears and disappears, and where healing seems always out of reach. With her lyrical prose and her gift for creating deeply sympathetic characters, de Rosnay has given us a hopeful story, as addictive as it is moving."

Recent Reader Reviews

Rated of 5 by Doreen M
A secret kept
Depressing and disjointed. Such a big letdown after Sarah's Keys.

Rated of 5 by Dorothy Halligan
A Secret Kept
A very well-written story about how we perceive events as children, and often misconstrue their meaning. I listened to the book and found the narrator as good a storyteller as I've heard, which enhanced the culture, and sense of place that was...   Read More

Rated of 5 by I.Marshall
A Secret Kept
Very well written, but unsatisfactory. The plot was muddled and there seemed to be too many extraneous events that had little or nothing to do with the main plot. At one point a reference to the letters that he had not yet read was made. Again,...   Read More

Rated of 5 by JWW
Not a page turner
This book had it's moments of intrigue and interesting plot but, unfortunately, there were only moments. A big deal was made of the secret but the secret was not such a big deal. The characters were over-wrought or under developed and, at times,...   Read More

Rated of 5 by Becca Garcia
Don't expect "Sarah's Key"
I enjoyed "A Secret Kept", but did not like this story as much as "Sarah's Key". The characters were not complex and I didn't feel the urgent need to continue reading although I did finish the book.

Rated of 5 by Dianne S
This book shouldn't be a kept a secret
I just finished reading Tatiana de Rosnay's A Secret Kept & I loved it. It had the right blend of drama and vivid characters. The story line was great and as in Sarah's Key, the chapters were short & concise which ads to the flow of the...   Read More

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