The Secret Wife

‘Moving, wry and powerful, Mark Lamprell’s compelling new novel is laden with secrets and brimming with wit, warmth and razor-sharp observations. I loved it.’ * Suzanne Leal *
‘What a gorgeous pair of women Lamprell has created in Frankie and Edith. By turns heartbreaking and hilarious—The Secret Wife is a tender love song to a decade that changed the world.’ * Kathryn Heyman *
‘A stunning debut.’ * Courier Mail/Herald Sun on The Full Ridiculous *

‘Gorgeous and heartfelt…a portrait of individual crisis and family dysfunctionality.’

* Weekend Australian on The Full Ridiculous *
‘The ongoing subjugation of women through our performance of emotional and domestic labour is a serious matter, and The Secret Wife is a welcome addition to a slew of recent novels drawing attention to the thankless maintenance work with which women continue to be saddled.’ * Monthly *
‘All the beauty and wonder of female relations.’ * Jessie Tu, Age *
‘A story of innocence told beautifully.’ * Canberra Times *
’The Secret Wife is a clever, funny and charming read that will whisk you off to another era entirely.’ * Better Reading *
‘[A] story of female friendship, sacrifice and women’s empowerment…Lamprell brilliantly aligns [historical events] with Edith and Frankie’s own story.’ * Cheryl Akle, Australian *
‘A staggeringly beautiful book.’ * Australian Women’s Weekly *
‘Lamprell’s characters are well-drawn [and] the prose is concise and somewhat cinematic. [The Secret Wife is] a literary page-turner that I suspect will appeal to fans of Frank Moorhouse’s Edith Trilogy.’ * Historical Novels Review *