The Secret Son
Jennifer Burke, 2013
Poolbeg Press
312 pp.
ISBN-13: 9781842236048
Summary
Sean Murtagh, who has been living and working in New York since leaving college five years ago, returns home to Wicklow in Ireland when his wealthy father, Liam, is unexpectedly killed in a car crash. He is shocked to discover that Liam’s will disinherits his wife and children, leaving the family home and fortune to a secret son, Andrew Shaw.
For the Shaw family, the news offers a lifeline. Twenty year old Andrew is seriously ill with kidney disease and the inheritance may mean the difference between life and death. However, the lives of Andrew, his devoted older sister Tors and younger brother Jack are changed when their mother insists they move across the country to Wicklow to stake their claim under the will.
Thrown together, Sean Murtagh and Tors Shaw find their loyalties tested as they try to find some middle ground between the families, while each dealing with their own grief and personal tragedies. Further revelations from the past, along with Andrew’s deteriorating health, creates an impossible situation that threatens everything Sean and Tors hold dear.
Author Bio
• Birth—January 25, 1983
• Where—Dublin, Ireland
• Education—B.A., Trinity College Dublin; PostGrad Diploma, DIT
• Awards—TV3's Write A Bestseller Award
• Currently—lives in Dublin
Jennifer has been writing stories for as long as she can remember but it was only in 2011, after qualifying as a solicitor, that she realised if she didn't get down to the serious business of writing a novel soon, she'd never do it. So she joined the Irish Writer's Centre, took a couple of courses and put time aside to write properly.
Eager for feedback, Jennifer joined a writing group which she is still a part of today. She also starting entering competitions with encouraging results—a short story was shortlisted in the From the Well competition in 2012 and published in the resulting anthology, and she was shortlisted in the Fish Flash Fiction competition in both 2012 and 2013.
Eventually, in 2013, her big break came. Jennifer won TV3's Write A Bestseller competition, securing a three book deal with Poolbeg Press. The Secret Son was published in September 2013 to critical acclaim.
When not writing, Jennifer works as a solicitor and enjoys singing with the Lassus Scholars choir and travelling. (From the author.)
Visit the author's website.
Follow Jennifer on Facebook.
Book Reviews
Dramatic from the opening chapter, The Secret Son dismisses any form of slow build up and drops the reader right into the heart of the story—as well as the heart of two families whose lives are about to be thrown into disarray.... Right up to the last page, this story kept me enthralled and the quality of storytelling and writing is phenomenal! It’s hardly surprising it’s the TV3 competition winner.
Mary Malone - Writing.ie
FOR the past couple of years, Poolbeg Press and TV3 have given aspiring writers the chance of a lifetime. The publishers teamed up with TV3's The Morning Show to run the Write A Best Seller competition, which gives the winner an opportunity to see their novel in print.... This year's winner is Jennifer Burke's [The Secret Son]. As a solicitor, [Burke] saw many family disputes over dead relatives' wills, which gave her the idea of a will that did not just involve the division of monies but went a step further to reveal a dark secret.... With its many twists and turns, this unusual and absorbing book takes the reader on a touching journey to an unpredictable ending, making it likely that Jennifer Burke will follow the success of the previous winner and have a bestseller on her hands.
Ann Dunne - Irish Independent
The Secret Son was a brilliant read from start to finish which had me hooked with its twists and turns throughout. I had to keep reading to discover how both families would react to the details of the will, the legalities of the will and whether or not the Murtagh's would contest it, but more importantly how would they react when they finally meet face to face when there's so much animosity between them? This was a gripping read with a completely unexpected ending, it's hard to believe that this is Jennifer's debut novel so I cannot wait to hear what she has in store for us next.
Shaz's Book Blog
Discussion Questions
1. Which character grows most as a person throughout The Secret Son?
2. Can Glenda Wilson & Karen Shaw ever be friends?
3. By all accounts, Liam Murtagh was a loving father and loyal friend & neighbour. Does his act of cowardice in choosing to reveal his secret only after his death undo or undermine these positive attributes?
4. What is the significance of the house the Shaws use in Wicklow being situated by an isolated beach?
5. Is Karen Shaw likeable, unlikeable or a bit of both? Why?
6. Give examples of how the sea is used to mirror the emotions of the characters.
7. Which of the Murtagh children do you feel the most sorry for and why?
8. Who in The Secret Son would you like to have as a (a) parent, (b) sibling, and (c) child, and why?
9. If the Murtagh's had formally contested Liam's will in court and you were the judge, would you change the will?
10. What is The Secret Son's message about keeping the past hidden?
11. Is Liam in any way redeemed by Karen Shaw's revelation at the end of the book?
12. How would the book be different if Andrew Shaw was, and always had been, perfectly healthy?
(Questions courtesy of the author.)