Divorced mother of two Rachel is super keen to get ahead in her career in interior design PR, especially now that she’s struggling to keep her head above water financially. Her artistic sister, Tessa, barely leaves home these days, while her husband Tom is becoming recognised everywhere because of his home restoration TV show. The youngest sister, Natasha, is a make-up artist based in New York – and there’s something that she’s been keeping from her family all these years. Meanwhile their quirky mum, Joy, is refusing to open a series of letters – what is she hiding? - and Rachel’s boss, Simon, is nursing a rather uncomfortable attraction. All of these secrets are set to come to a head as these characters go on an emotional journey. While the careers may still be glamorous, this story is a lot more down-to-earth than Alderson’s previous fashion-focused novels.
Secret Keeping for Beginners, by Maggie Alderson, asks is it ever better to tell. The summary says: "Even the closest families have secrets ... it's when they are shared that things begin to change. Recently divorced Rachel is juggling her new dream job in interior design PR with the demands of two young daughters. She's full of creative ideas but - even with a colourful childminder or two - some days she can't make it into the office on time and in matching shoes. Her life is balanced more precariously than she cares to admit. Tessa, a talented muralist, is feeling flat. Her kids are growing up and she's feeling upstaged by her husband's new-found celebrity as the host of a reality TV fireplace restoration show. But everything turns on its head when she gets a surprise from her past. Youngest sister Natasha leads a glamorous jet-setting life - she's one of Vogue's favourite make-up artists who regularly creates the looks for the biggest shows in Paris and Milan. Single and childless, she's been focused on her career - but when the lie she's concealed for years threatens to come to light, the truth will make her question everything. Meanwhile their mother, Joy, a hippy vegetarian caterer, is carefully ignoring the letters that keep arriving at her door. Into the mix comes Simon, Rachel's urbane boss, hiding secrets of his own. And everything lurking beneath the surface of this seemingly happy family is about to come out ..." Secret Keeping for Beginners is out in April 2015.