The Last Secret
In 1860, sixteen-year-old Sarah is thrilled to accompany her affluent parents to an event in their small colonial town on the north shore of Lake Ontario, describing it as “the day the Prince of Wales came to visit, [and] I met my first husband.” Although Joseph Drury is the son of Scottish farmers and immensely disliked by her social-climbing English mother, Sarah marries him. They move to a farm and are blessed with five children. While another one is on the way, a disastrous event occurs, and Sarah discovers a terrible secret her husband is keeping from her. Sarah is at odds with how to provide for her children and herself. Although Sarah’s mother wants her to remarry and presents a wealthy suitor, Sarah defies the Victorian era’s norms and wishes to start a business of her own. It seems the whole town is against her venture, except for her well-off sister.
Pam Royl describes herself in her author biography as “a writer of women’s stories, inspired by history.” A resident of Ontario’s Northumberland County—the novel’s setting—Royl was motivated by an ancestor’s story, which she used in plotting this novel. Hence, it’s no surprise that the narrative reads as true to life and transports us to town and farm life during that period. Sarah’s tribulations well portray the limited options to progress for young women at that time. These might surprise some readers. Family secrets, and their devastating effects on the unfortunate upon their reveal, play a vital role in this novel. Royl’s choice of writing in Sarah’s first-person voice seems appropriate, for it brings us close to her feelings and makes withholding secrets seem plausible. The novel is an informative and pleasurable read. Highly recommended.
