Circle of Secrets by Lauren Tisdale

Circle of Secrets on November 5, 2013
Genres: Fiction / Romance / Suspense
Pages: 385
Goodreads

Meet Helen-an older woman, who enjoys her part-time work at the local hospital where her husband is a doctor. Ghosts of her past haunt her and when a secret is revealed, she must push past the pain to forgive and piece together a puzzle in order to find what she’s looking for.

Meet Marissa-a woman in her thirties, single parent to Sophia. She loves to teach but is haunted by the clock slowly ticking away due to her failing health. When a secret is revealed, she must figure out what it means before her time runs out.

Helen and Marissa are total strangers but one thing connects them—family secrets. Their mysterious pasts intertwine and they don’t know it until a family secret reveals that everything they’d once known was a lie. Now, they must fight their own battles to figure out the truth, before it’s too late for one of them.

I’m not sure where to begin. I have never read a book with so much horrendous detail. Minute by minute movements of the characters… Here is an example: “She closed and locked the door to the house, turning off the porch lights and going into the family room to take a seat next to her husband in her regular place. He had his recliner, she had hers. As he switched on the television they began to talk about what to watch that Sunday night. ‘I heard there is a game tonight,’ he suggested. She smiled and nodded.” I am on the edge of my seat with the suspense of whether they will watch the game or do something incredibly daring…like get up and trot to the bathroom. It just gets more exciting by the “minutiae” minute. My favorite scene is the tub scene:”She turned the knobs of the faucet and the water began to run into the tub. (shocking) Placing the stopper in the drain, she gathered her night clothes and towel. Setting her clothes on the bed, she walked back into the bathroom and draped her towel over the edge of the shower door. After undressing and pouring a little of her aromatherapy liquid into the running water, she stepped in and placed the bottle back on the shelf before slowly sitting into the hot water.” I’m so glad she is neat and tidy. I just couldn’t go on. Way, way, way too much minute detail that really doesn’t go anywhere. Two main characters who are dealing with discovering painful secrets from their past. Their stories are told simultaneously…that alone can be confusing. But in chapter one, 14 different characters are introduced…what? I had to grab a pen and paper just to try to keep them straight – and that’s just the first character’s story – Helen. Character two – Marissa is a whole nother ball of wax. Tisdale had a good idea, but the loquacious writing slowed the pace to a turtle crawl…I found myself skimming and still following along with the general plot. Tisdale desperately needs a brave editor.