Review: Hidden by Catherine McKenzie

Overview:

When a married man suffers a sudden fatal accident, two women are shattered — his wife and his mistress — and past secrets, desires, and regrets are brought to light. While walking home from work one evening, Jeff Manning is struck by a car and killed. Two women fall to pieces at the news: his wife, Claire, and his co-worker Tish. Reeling from her loss, Claire must comfort her grieving son as well as contend with funeral arrangements, well-meaning family members, and the arrival of Jeff’s estranged brother, who was her ex-boyfriend. Tish volunteers to attend the funeral on her company’s behalf, but only she knows the true risk of inserting herself into the wreckage of Jeff’s life.

Told through the three voices of Jeff, Tish, and Claire, Hidden explores the complexity of relationships, the repercussions of our personal choices, and the responsibilities we have to the ones we love.
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Review:

Catherine McKenzie has done a wonderful job creating characters that are pretty unlikable. I mean this as a compliment. It is far more difficult to create an unlikable character. Everyone has faults, but I found main players to lack the emotional depth required to feel sympathetic to their struggles.

Hidden is told in the alternating voices of Jeff, his wife Claire, and his maybe-mistress, co-worker Tish. What unfolds is a did they-didn't they as the reader learns about each narrator's life. Even as a wife and mother, I found Claire and Tish almost entirely un-relatable. Ordinarily I'd hate a character like Jeff's. One who might have been unfaithful, and yet I couldn't muster a feeling one way or another.

In writing this review, I must admit I found the book much more engrossing than I realized. While it's not a challenging read, it does keep the reader engaged.


*I received this book from NetGalley for review.