Mitchell is cutting "love locks" off a bridge when he sees a woman fall into the river below. Without hesitating he jumps in and saves her. Unknown to Mitchell, the woman was reported missing by her family a year ago. The publicity surrounding Mitchell's heroic action results in the woman's sister getting in touch to see if he has any information that can help the family find her.
The Secrets Of Sunshine by Phaedra Patrick is such an easy listen, I raced through it thanks to the wonderful characters and the added bit of mystery surrounding the woman who fell from the bridge. I'll admit there were times when I just wanted to bang together the heads of the two main characters but that would have made for a much shorter story.
My heart went out to Mitchell, the lead character. For the last three years, he's been a single dad to daughter Poppy. Mitchell was an architect, working away from home during the week while his partner, Anita, raised Poppy. Mitchell's work/life balance wasn't healthy and on the day of Anita's birthday work won the battle and tragedy struck with Anita being killed in a car accident. Guilt stricken, unable to forgive himself, since that day Mitchell has devoted his life to raising their daughter. I'm sure the feeling of guilt will resonate with many people, I know there have been times in my life when I was so focused on work that I sacrificed time with family and friends.
When working away from home the couple would write letters to each other, Anita actually wrote a letter on the day she died and Mitchell has never had the courage to read it. Mitchell still writes letters to Anita, telling her all about his and Poppy's life. Letters play a big part in the story and show how much we have lost as a society with the advent of smartphones, social media and email.
The mystery surrounding the woman Mitchell rescued leads to him meeting her sister, Liza. Liza has a big impact on Mitchell's life, making him realise that he has been far too restrictive in the way he is raising Poppy and that he is still punishing himself for his choices on the day Anita died. Slowly, with the help of Liza, an old friend, and the many letters he receives following his heroic actions, Mitchell begins to realise that he is entitled to live, and love, again, but, more importantly, he needs to forgive himself first.
Author Details
Phaedra Patrick is the bestselling author of several novels, including The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper, which has been translated into twenty-five languages worldwide. Her second novel, Rise and Shine Benedict Stone, was made into a Hallmark movie. An award-winning short story writer, she previously studied art and marketing and has worked as a stained glass artist, film festival organizer and communications manager. Phaedra lives in Saddleworth, UK, with her family.
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