Publisher : Lake Union Publishing (April 6, 2021)
Language : English
Paperback : 311 pages
ISBN-10 : 1542026539
A freshly funny and heartfelt novel about one woman’s secret life, the stories she tells, and the thrill and notoriety of being noticed.
On the same day Bells Walker learns that her IUD has failed, her husband, Harry, is denied tenure at his Manhattan university. So Bells, Harry, their two adolescent children, and her baby bump move to New York’s Hudson Valley, where Harry has landed a job at Dutchess College in the town of Pigkill.
When the farm-to-table utopia Bells envisioned is anything but, she turns to the blogosphere. Under the pen name the County Dutchess, she anonymously dishes about life in Pigkill, detailing the activities of hypercompetitive parents and kombucha-drinking hipsters. Suddenly, Bells has a place to say all the things she’s been secretly thinking about being a wife and mother. As Bells turns the focus of her blog on her new neighbors, her readership continues to grow, but her scandalous posts hit closer to home: she puts Harry’s new job in jeopardy, derails her children’s lives, and risks the one real friendship she’s built.
When Bells uncovers scandals right under her nose, the Dutchess goes viral, and soon everyone is asking, Who is the County Dutchess? Now Bells has to ask herself if it’s worth losing the people closest to her to finally feel noticed by everyone else.
“This engrossing romp makes for delightfully voyeuristic commentary on wealthy upstate life.” ―Publishers Weekly
“A brave, bold, laugh-out-loud, heartwarming, nail-biting story of family life in these uncertain times. Bells Walker is so relatable, I wanted to yell advice to her as I read. A pure delight.” ―Shelley Noble, New York Times bestselling author of Lucky’s Beach
“What do you do when life throws a bunch of less than welcome surprises your way? If you’re Bells, the plucky protagonist of The Truth and Other Hidden Things, you make a string of questionable (if hilarious) choices…that land you exactly where you were always supposed to be. Lea Geller’s latest novel is a clever, witty, and insightful novel that just may inspire you to look at your own plot twists in a whole new light.” ―Camille Pagán, bestselling author of This Won’t End Well
“The Truth and Other Hidden Things is a perfect escape, whether you’re a city mouse like the hilarious and lovable narrator, Bells Walker, or used to the bucolic settings that amaze the Walker family so. As Bells navigates a whoops baby, a career tumble, two surly teens, and that PTA lady we all know, you’ll laugh―with and at her―and cheer for her every step of the way. I loved this romp and you will, too!” ―Kelly Harms, Washington Post bestselling author of The Overdue Life of Amy Byler
“In this humorous, smart novel, Geller brilliantly tackles one woman’s need for approval and the desperate lengths she’ll go to to get there. Bells Walker is the imperfect mom and friend we can all relate to and eventually root for. Readers will devour this book in one sitting. I did.” ―Rochelle B. Weinstein, USA Today bestselling author
MY REVIEW:
The Truth and Other Hidden Things
By Lea Geller
Lea Geller’s The Truth and Other Hidden Things is such a wonderful story that is both funny and poignant, and also completely relatable.
The story begins as forty something Bells Walker, a lawyer turned writer finds out she is pregnant and that her younger and very attractive husband did not receive tenure in his Manhattan University job. He ends up finding another position in the Hudson Valley in a town called Pigkill, a hipster town with kombucha loving residents who were mostly transplants from the city.
Bells who is craving to get back to writing starts to blog anonymously, writing about the competitive parenting and helicopter moms. As she writes about the town mom gossips and some strange sexual encounters, her blog takes off and suddenly Bells is in over her head.
I loved reading this story about characters that grow and evolve, and all the moms and the crazy antics. The writing was fresh, clever, and very insightful. I really enjoyed this entertaining read and I highly recommend it.
About the Author
Lea Geller is the author of Trophy Life. A recipient of the 2019 Kathryn Gurfein Writing Fellowship at Sarah Lawrence College, she began her writing career by blogging about her adventures in the trenches of parenting. Lea lives in New York with her husband and children, for whom she frequently wakes up and makes several separate breakfasts. When Lea’s not writing and eavesdropping on her children, she can be found running, gardening, drinking diner coffee, and occasionally teaching middle school English. She is a graduate of Columbia University and Stanford Law School. You can find Lea at www.leageller.com.
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