In The Secret She Kept, ReShonda Tate Billingsley tackles
the sensitive subject of mental illness within the African-American family. With
fully developed characters and realistic dialogue, readers will walk away with
a better understanding of what it means to be bipolar, being labeled “crazy”
and how one can control this mental disease. In addition, readers will see how
love, understanding, getting the appropriate help and devotion can all triumph in
the end.
In this novel, Tia Jiles is a beautiful, savvy and
successful lawyer who catches the eye of Lance Kingston, a successful Houston
magazine executive who recently broke up with his girlfriend who cheated on
him. Lance and Tia have a whirlwind romance, they get married and then she
starts acting “crazy” (bursting into violent spells, hearing voices, being
disoriented, etc.). He didn’t see any of this coming because Tia never revealed
to him that since the age of seventeen she had an illness that takes over her
mind. Tia could manage her illness if she followed what the doctors say and
take her medication. But she’s easily swayed by her mother who would try to
pray the problem away.
So, when Tia tells Lance she is pregnant, he becomes
fearful and starts calling everyone including Tia’s mother to tackle and find a
solution to get his wife back on track. His love for Tia and his strength is
what pulled him and his family through it all. I have to say I applaud him
because there were times when I thought he was going to throw in the towel. But
he stuck in there even when Tia called the police on him during one of her
episodes. One thing I wasn’t thrilled about was Tia’s mother ignoring or rather
making excuses for Tia’s mental issues when Tia clearly needed medical
attention. Nevertheless, it was a good
read!
Of note, this was novel was made into a TV movie
which debuted in July 2016 on TV One. I will definitely try to catch it when it
airs again.
Some
of my favorite lines:
Tia closed her eyes to
drown out the voices warring in her head. Finally, she opened her eyes and
said, “Are you sure you want to do this?
“I’ve never been more
sure of anything. Why, you’re not?”
“No, I am. I…I just
want to make sure. I mean, what…if you get with me and things aren’t everything
that they seem?” She knew she was losing her nerve. She was being a coward.
“Oh, I’m expecting
that. I know you women change when you get married,” he joked, finally smiling.
“I’m serious, Lance.
What if you get with me and things aren’t everything that they seem?”
“I’m in it for the long
haul, baby. I’m not going anywhere.”
I’m
in it for the long haul. Those were the exact words Gavin
said…right before she told him. But she also knew what they all said when they
realized her aura of perfection was just an illusion.
Rating: 4 stars
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