Pre-Pub Book Review: A Woman's Secret: A Story of Life, Love and Tragedy by Toyin Adon-Abel

The value of friendship and love is the glue that brings Lincoln Caldwell, a 42-year old well-known artist in Manhattan, New York and Sydney Collins, a 22 year-old young executive, together. Sydney, a Boston native, accepted an opportunity to open a new office in New York for her father’s company, CSD. The union of Lincoln and Sydney merges a new set of eight close-knit friends that provide the day to day interactions reminiscent of a sitcom. It was inviting and made the novel a fast-paced read.

I applaud the author for taking on complex themes: sperm donation, consanguineous relationships and even suicide. Unfortunately, these themes were introduced during the last fifty pages of the story. Credit is given to the author for the research into these topics; however, it was delivered as if it were a nonfiction essay; providing just the facts.  I would have had a greater appreciation if these themes were intermingled throughout the characters' lives. Instead, they were provided as cliffhangers with no character resolve.

The story focused more on Sydney’s turbulent pregnancy which led her to an extended stay at the hospital; a new visitor weaving in and out of every chapter. The lack of descriptive settings did give rise to the characters' various locations: Spain, New York, and Boston. The lack of character development makes it difficult for the reader to engage in the story. However, the author’s personal experience as a British Police Officer was strongly reflected in Ryoko, a New York police officer and the ex-girlfriend of Lincoln. The lingo, intensity and pace of these scenes held my attention temporarily. 

This novel was written in the author’s native British dialect; it does not reflect that of the characters and it can confuse the reader. The author is not comfortable using foul language - “It’s none of your *^#! business.” I respect the author’s creative control but I don’t believe this will go over well to the avid adult reader.

My purpose for all reviews is to identify debut novels that are suitable for book clubs. The author chose excellent topics worthy of discussion, but I do not believe avid readers could conclusively finish the book. However, this is a pre-published review and my findings may not necessary reflect the final version.