Her Secret, His Child [Paperback]

This book has attracted controversy in the past because it deals with date rape - a subject which is often in the news these days because of the concern over the legal fraternity in getting it treated fairly in our politically correct world. So, here is a subject to be handled carefully and, to be fair, PDR does so in the main. However, I did not really warm to her heroine. Frankly, Carly Anderson is not someone I would like for a friend. There is just a touch of hollering "no" at the point of no return and that is, of course, the problem with the whole topic of date rape. Also, for a very intelligent woman, she allows this one episode to cause her to make some questionable choices in her life; she is not a happy woman when we meet her and you really have to wonder why she has not been able to be more pragmatic about herself.

Her hero, Mitch, is made to suffer disproportionately, in my own view, for something which he did at a very young age. PDR makes this man a paraplegic at the height of a fantastically successful career as a professional athlete. He does, in the main, rebuild his life but he still suffers - there is no truly meaningful relationship in his life and his physical disabilities are horrendous although he does cope very well with them. He is a very charming man and desirable one.

There is a "hidden baby" in this book. And, sadly, this is where PDR lets herself down. Although Mitch meets and loves his daughter when finally he is allowed to know her, Carly and he (really Carly in my opinion) decide to keep her paternity a secret. This is where the plot becomes clouded and departs from what some may view as the reality of the modern world. Denying a child knowledge of its paternity is, I think, probably a worse "crime" than date rape especially when the father is loving, caring and willing to take full responsibility.

The issue of IVF for paraplegics is explored here as well which is interesting because it allows Carly and Mitch to start again. However, this child will know its parents but not its sister. This issue has provoked discussion elsewhere and is never resolved by the author.

I liked Mitch. He was gritty yet realistic in handling his disability. He suffers and is tortured about his actions and their outcomes but handles them better and more maturely, I think, than Carly. Carly is, I think, the character that is a little bit two dimensional.

A book which continues to cause discussion. If you like PDR then it is not to be missed. I have always wondered why it never got released, as far as I can tell, in the UK. It is PDR at her angst-ridden, tortured hero best. I loved Mitch but would not like to have lunch with Carly. Highly recommended for the issues raised here: date rape, retribution, suffering, disability and paternity.