THE SECRET KEEPER by Kate Morton is a gem of a book. The three protagonists—Dolly, Jimmy and Vivien—meet in London during the Blitz. At that time Adolf Hitler was planning to invade England, and so his opening gambit was to destroy the Royal Air Force (RAF). And so there were air battles taking place over all the major cities of England, especially those that had factories such as London and Coventry.
Against this chaos of destruction and heartbreak, these three young people bond. Jimmy and Dolly are both from Coventry, now living in London, and have been childhood sweethearts. They plan to marry, live near the beach and have a happy life with many children.
Vivien is a foreigner. Born in Australia, she is sent to live in England when she loses her entire family to a car accident. Growing up in her mother’s posh family in Oxford, Viven transforms from a rough-and-tumble girl who uses her fists, to an alluring society beauty. At seventeen, her (rather heartless) guardian hands her off to his best friend who is (of course) several years older than she.
And this is how Viven and Dolly end up living opposite one another in a genteel corner of London. For Vivien is an heiress who owns her lovely London house. While Dolly has found employment as a companion to Lady Gwendolyn.
Dolly forms a crush on Vivien, who is dealing with too many things in her life to notice. Whereas Vivien would claim no more than an acquaintance with Dolly, Dolly wants to believe that they are best friends. And so, when Vivien disclaims any knowledge of Dolly in front of her husband, Dolly is extremely hurt.
And that is how the tragedy that haunts so many characters’ lives is set in motion.
What is wonderful about this novel is how it keeps you guessing until the very end, with an amazing plot twist.
If you love historical novels written with empathy and skill, you won’t go wrong with THE SECRET KEEPER.
