Secret Keeping for Beginners (Maggie Alderson, HarperCollins)

As a long-time fan of Maggie Alderson’s fashion columns and fiction, I jumped at the chance to review her latest offering. The story follows the lives of high-achieving sisters Tessa, Rachel and Natasha, together with their hippy mother Joy. As things change in their lives, the family’s tightly constructed veneer of happiness begins to crack and the secrets that they have been keeping from one another start to emerge. This description probably makes the secrets sound far more serious than they really are. Overall, the characters are likeable and sympathetic, with familiar and relatable issues. Interestingly, Alderson doesn’t rely as heavily on fashion as she has in previous books; it’s the relationship between the sisters and their mother that takes precedence. That said, Alderson’s background in fashion and media is reflected in the careers of the sisters (Natasha is a make-up artist and Rachel works in PR). Fans of Alderson will enjoy this book, which is perfectly timed for Mother’s Day.

Rachel Wilson is a Melbourne-based media academic and former bookseller