The Language of Secrets

I loved this and was especially drawn to Dixon's original premise and the fact that she's not afraid to examine life's messiness -- the dangerous line between truth & secrets and the fact that revealing complete truth can sometimes not be the best thing for loved ones. But while some family secrets may be better kept under wraps, Dixon doesn't hold back. Her intricate plot bowled me over and kept me guessing and questioning until the very last page!

I am so excited to let all of you know about this book! It is an absolute masterpiece. I can't wax poetic enough about it. Yes. I'm singing it's praises far and wide because I'm so blown away by it. Let's get right to the blurb on the book *smile* Justin Fisher has a successful career as the manager of a luxury hotel, a lovely wife, and a charming young son. While all signs point to a bright future, Justin can no longer ignore the hole in his life left by his estranged family, When he finally gathers the courage to reconnect with his troubled past, Justin is devastated to learn his parents have passed away. And a visit to the cemetery brings the greatest shock of all - next to the graves of his father and mother sits a smaller tombstone for a three year old boy: a boy named Thomas Justin Fisher. What follows is an extraordinary journey as Justin struggles with issues of his own identity and pieces together the complex and heartbreaking truth about his family. Yes. Heartbreaking is what it is. This is a poignant, unbelievably rich literary jewel. If I could compare this book to a cake, think of a fluffy, light Angel Food cake and then compare that to a rich, deep, multilayered chocolate cake. The Language of Secrets is the deep chocolate cake. I was fascinated right at the start by the cover art. It has a misty vintage feel. May I suggest that before you read the book, you study that cover. It's going to hold a lot more meaning when you get to the heart of this story. This is the first novel of Dianne Dixon who is a television writer and twice been nominated for an emmy. She can add awesome novelist to her repertoire. She grabs you by the neck with this story and you are at her mercy! You want to close you eyes and pray what you think is coming is not, but take you there she does. I believe I screamed reading the last page, because Dixon throws you a complete, awesome curve ball! Maybe some of you are savvy enough to figure it out, but she certainly got me. (And no peeking; you have to read it straight through, you'll ruin the pure joy of the book if you don't!) Let me be clear. It's not a happy story, but it's a darn good one. It explores human frailties, vulnerabilities and the consequences of lies and deceit. I wish I could tell you more of the plot, but that would ruin the experience of the story for you. You have to read it yourself from beginning to end. It's a fairly short book at 272 pages and I found myself slowing down, because I was loath for it to end. It's lyrical, the language beautifully written. This book is a keeper!

I must preface by saying I love debut novels. In this case, the book comes from a screenwriter which intrigued me even more. I was not disappointed. The writing and characters are fully developed and I read with total absorbtion until the end which was exceptional. Dianne Dixon is off to a great new career as a novelist.

Justin Fisher was just an ordinary guy--he was a manager of a hotel, married with a son, and a great future ahead of him. But he decides that he must go back to his home, because he hasn't spoken with his family in years. When he arrives, his parents are dead--and his gravestone is beside theirs. Justin embarks on an amazing terrifying journey of mystery, self discovery, and secrets to try to fix his broken past--or at least figure out who he is. The Language of Secrets was powerful, ironic, and profound. I was instantly swept away by Dixon's prose and illustrations. My jaw literally dropped as I read the opening paragraphs, the writing was so fluid and descriptive. It was all written in third person, but switched perspectives every few chapters. Near the middle I felt like I was in the middle of two separate stories, and I wasn't sure how they connected, but I knew they did because they were about the same characters. Watching the story unfold in almost a mystery-novel way was incredible: it was a complex series of events woven together expertly so that you can't even find the seams. I loved the ending. The Language of Secrets finishes up the story, concludes it, leaves you satisfied, and then throws something at you in the very last paragraph of the very last chapter that you didn't expect. It sent my eyebrows to the ceiling and my jaw to the floor. I think my eyeballs are still rolling around on the ground somewhere. The Language of Secrets was amazing--it's staying on my shelf for a definite re-read. Content: medium language, some violence, mention of sex but no details, mention of rape but no details. Recommendation: Ages 16+

Once the hero makes his shocking discovery at the start of the book you just have to keep turning those pages to find out WHY. Well and tautly written, this rattles along. The perfect book to take with you on holiday, when you just want to escape from it all and spend time in another, more exciting world. I understand this is Ms Dixon's first novel. If she writes more like this I will be buying them all.