I wanted a lighter read after two heavier novels recently, so, I went with Sophie Kinsella’s 2004 novel, Can You Keep a Secret?, and it turned out to be a pitch-perfect choice. Kinsella’s writing, even nearly 20 years later, still feels relatable, relevant, and fresh, with fast-paced narrative skill and laugh-out-loud hilarity. You know, it occurred to me as I was a few pages into this one, enjoying it, that it’s odd I don’t read more books of this kind. I enjoy rom-coms! Why wouldn’t I enjoy a “rom-com” book? Kinsella’s Can You Keep a Secret would make for a hilarious rom-com movie in the right hands and with the right leads.
Emma Corrigan is a normal Londoner trying to find her place in marketing for an energy drink and snack company, while she’s secretly unhappy with the arc of her relationship to her boyfriend, and has an uneven relationship with her parents due to their obnoxious doting of her cousin instead of her. After going to Scotland for a chance to prove herself in marketing, Emma screws it up and on the way back to London, the plane experiences turbulence. Whelp, Emma is terrified of flying and thinking she’s going to die, she starts unspooling all of her secrets to the stranger next to her.
Later, we find out that stranger, Jack, is the co-founder of the energy drink/snack company she works at; thus, he knows all of her secrets. He even lets her know that he remembers those secrets through little hints when he visits the company. I found the way Kinsella wrote Emma to be well-done because Emma was someone eager to achieve more, but fumbling around with getting to the “more” part, professionally and personally. In other words, she’s a real person! Which is exactly what Jack realizes: to evolve the marketing of their energy drink and product, they need to market to women — women like Emma who are … ordinary and nothing-special.
Jack reveals this “marketing insight” in a horrifying on-air interview and everyone watching (at the company, her friends, and family) realize he’s talking about Emma, as they were just striking up a relationship. At first, Emma, rightly mortified, tries to break things off with Jack. Then, like any rom-com, he wins her back by revealing his own secrets. And in fact, Emma realizes her secrets — and them being revealed — weren’t a weakness or a source of humiliation, but a superpower. Instead of walking through life pretending to be someone she’s not, especially to others, she’s being her authentic self and through that, she actually realizes her ambitions and gets a promotion at work. And back with Jack.
Now, I didn’t like Jack, though! He did totally use Emma for “market research” and you can’t take back the “nothing-special girl” remark. Not to mention the whole revealing it on TV point, even if it led to good things and a better perspective for Emma. It was still wrong and gross. So, yeah, ew, Jack.
My dislike of Jack aside, Kinsella’s book was an immensely readable book, with fully-realized, hilarious vignettes and characters we’ve all encountered in our life besides, I suppose, Jack, since he’s a mysterious millionaire (and presumably, considerably older than Emma?).
If you’re also looking for something a little different to add to your reading catalog, I recommend, Can You Keep a Secret? I guess you could say, I can’t keep this book, and my enjoyment of it, a secret!
Milam's Musings 