Review by piplup45 -- Veil of Secrecy

[piplup45]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Veil of Secrecy" by Margaret Franceschini.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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In the 1950s, the world was a very different place. Many of the modern conveniences of life didn’t yet exist and people treated one another very differently. In the modern world, there are TV shows celebrating girls who entered motherhood young. We have social programs to support young mothers through high school and the beginnings of their new lives. This is such a commonplace idea that most of the world pays no mind. That was not the case for our main characters: Julie and Marina.

Veil of Secrecy opens by describing Julie’s modest life in 1950s Canada. She is a young 16-year-old girl, but mature for her age and looking forward to college. She enjoys creative writing, but what she cherishes are her private meetings with her boss, Frank. While he’s considerably older, Julie idolizes him and carries on an affair until one day, when she realizes she’s pregnant. Frank wants nothing to do with this child and demands she terminate it. Instead of having an abortion, Julie’s parents send her to The Fold, a nunnery for unwed mothers. She will stay, continue her education, and then return home once her child is given away for adoption. The parents who take her baby give her a name to reflect her seaside birthplace: Marina.

Sixteen years later, we meet Marina. She has found herself entranced by Jeff, an art curator at a museum in New York City. He is well educated and loves how Marina has such a passion for fine arts, specifically creative writing. After a few months of passion, Marina also finds herself to be pregnant at 16. While Marina is unaware she is adopted, her parents know exactly where to send her. This begins a canonical story where she has repeated the life of her biological mother, never even knowing she existed.

Veil of Secrecy is a heart-wrenching tale of two women who had to give up their children while not having any choice in the matter, as their young age made the decision fall on others. Both women continue to live with a hole in their hearts, thinking of their children often and hoping they will one day meet. Some several twists and turns encourage the reader to keep going and understand the plight of the mothers.

Margaret Franceschini, the author, seemed to have many points of view and some real-life experience with the subject matter. I did find a large number of errors in the writing, but most were with punctuation or homophones, so they were easy to look past. The style of writing was excellent and seemed to continue to draw me in, but what I liked least about the book was the extreme transparency of the foreshadowing. There were no subtle hints that something was about to happen, it was almost as if she wanted the reader to know about ten pages before the plot transpired.

My favorite overall idea of the book is the canonical theme. While the events happen on different timelines, everything that Julie experiences during her relationship with Frank is brought into Marina’s relationship with Jeff. The events of each mother’s search for her daughter are the same, and the results of both women's’ stories, concerning their children, are the same. With too many editing errors to receive the highest rating, the masterful thought to the plot allows me to arrive at a rating of 3 out of 4 stars. I would recommend this book to anyone high school-aged or older, due to its mentions of adult/teenage relationships, abortion, and suicide; but note there is not a single use of profanity or eroticism.

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Veil of Secrecy
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[Odette Chace]

This sounds like the kind of book that could easily become mandated reading for high school students in health class. While the premise is appealing to me now, it probably would not have been when I was at the age where its lessons would have benefited me most. Thanks for a great review.

[Ria710]

This sounds like a book that would teach a lot of lessons to teenagers, and to those perhaps going through a similar situation. Thank you for your honest review.