Irresistible Page-Turner: Read Our Review of The Secret Wife by Mark Lamprell

In 1961, on the day that Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human to rocket into outer space, Edith Devine moves into her brand-new suburban home – and meets her new neighbour, Frankie Heyman. Frankie is a glamorous, sophisticated foil to the quiet, clever Edith, and the two housewives become firm friends.

Then, when Frankie’s domineering husband Ralph refuses to let her get a job, Edith hatches a plan to keep her friend’s household running while Frankie secretly goes out to work – and so Edith becomes Frankie’s secret wife. As Frankie builds a business empire, Edith runs both their homes: dusting, cleaning and cooking her way through the sexual revolution, the summer of love and the second wave of feminism. Throughout the 1960s, the world’s great events seem to be mirrored in the lives of two women – until the day in 1969 when the first humans step out onto the surface of the moon, and Frankie and Edith face a calamitous reckoning. The Secret Wife is an irresistible story of fierce love, unconditional sacrifice and the transcendent power of pulling together.

Mark Lamprell is a writer and film director whose previous novels include The Full Ridiculous and A Lover’s Guide to Rome, both heartwarming and enjoyable reads worth adding to your TBR pile. And with The Secret Wife, I think Lamprell has delivered his best work yet.

The Secret Wife is a touching story of female friendship and women’s empowerment that gives readers a fascinating glimpse into the lives of two women during this period. The novel is told from Edith’s perspective, and what a joy it was to get inside her head! She’s quirky, loveable and, despite enduring loss and grief, remains ever optimistic.

Spanning 1961 to 1972, Lamprell richly evokes the nostalgic setting of a bygone era; this was a time of great change: the space race and the swinging sixties. But it was also a time when men went to work while their wives remained at home to clean the house and cook their dinner. Interspersed throughout the novel are wider geopolitical events that occurred throughout this period, events that Lamprell brilliantly aligns with Edith and Frankie’s own story.

The Secret Wife is a clever, funny and charming read that will whisk you off to another era entirely. If you’re looking for the perfect book to dive into this upcoming long weekend, look no further.

Buy a copy of The Secret Wife here.