The Secrets of Married Women

Carol Mason

Hodder

Attractive married couple, Jill and Rob, appear to lead an enviable life. They have good jobs, supportive friends, a nice home and a loving relationship. Jill works as a personal assistant for a football club while Rob earns a living as a carpenter. For Jill’s 35th birthday, Rob bought a puppy – a welcome addition to their household.

Jill and Rob have been married for 10 years. Having a baby together seems like the next logical step.

Unfortunately, Rob has recently learned he can’t have children. For Jill, it’s sad news, but not the end of the world. After all, she still has a wonderful husband and a good marriage. But for Rob, the news is a shock and he struggles to come to terms with it. Rather than talk to his wife about how he’s feeling, Rob becomes emotionally unavailable and uninterested in sex. Jill might not be able to have children with Rob, but she takes on a mothering role when it comes to caring for her puppy and looking after her elderly parents.

Meanwhile Jill’s close friend, Leigh, a glamorous marketing executive, is feeling bored in her marriage to Lawrence, a stay-at-home dad. On the bright side, Jill and Leigh’s mutual  friend, Wendy, seems happy enough. While she might not be as good-looking as Jill and Leigh, she’s a kind-hearted mother with a handsome and devoted policeman husband, Neil.

Desperate for a thrill, yet reluctant to consider the long-term consequences, Leigh embarks on an extra-marital affair. Foolishly, she believes her husband will never find out. Taking a leaf out of Leigh’s book, Jill, who is feeling lonely and unloved, has a romantic encounter with a Russian lifeguard, but regrets it almost immediately. And before long, cracks begin to show in Wendy’s marriage, much to everyone’s surprise.

It soon becomes glaringly obvious that no-one’s relationship is perfect and separations are imminent. Yet there is hope of a fresh start – especially for Jill, provided her husband still wants and loves her.

Set in Newcastle, England, this is the first novel from British-born, Canadian-based writer, Carol Mason.

Accessible and easily digestible, it will strike a chord with anyone who has ever wondered about the reality of an extra-marital affair.

Starting points for discussion: 

1. What does this book teach us about infidelity and infertility?
2. Which character did you have the most sympathy for and why?
3. Which marriage do you think deserved a second chance and why?
4. f you had been in Jill’s shoes and feeling lonely in your marriage or relationship, what do you think you would have done?
5. How did the friendships between the three female characters change over the course of the novel?

If you liked this you will enjoy:

• The Infidelity Chain by Tess Stimson
• The Trouble With Marriage by Debby Holt
• The Secret Life of Husbands by Kirsty Crawford
• Any Way You Want Me by Lucy Diamond
• Second Time Lucky by Sophie King