Can You Keep a Secret? by Sophie Kinsella

Emma Corigan has a secret: she is terrified to fly. And when her flight home to London from Glasgow suffers some major turbulence and she is convinced she is going to die, she pours out all of her deepest, darkest secrets to the total, albeit handsome and kind-eyed, stranger sitting next to her. She does not die, to her utter shock, but she does return to her life and to her frustrating job where she feels unappreciated and thwarted by her supervisor and her peers. Little does she know that the quiet, unassuming man to whom she’s poured out her soul will reappear in her life, and surprise her in more ways than she can imagine.

While this story is light and fairly formulaic, it is also entertaining and exactly the kind of therapeutic distraction I needed over these past couple of weeks (the inauguration, the absurd executive orders, clemency for the January 6th attackers, — the list is endless). We need fun reading like this in this moment and this was exactly that. It provides just enough tension, just enough amusement, just enough sarcasm to raise both grin and eyebrow, but not so much that you have to use too much of your brain to get through. Emma is sweet, kind, and sensitive – trying to move her life forward while not stepping on others’ toes, which can be challenging in the business world. But she finds unconventional means of advancement and unusual ideas from the real world and she uses them to her benefit.

And, of course, there is a happy ending. Which is not guaranteed in the real world. Another reason to indulge here!

Yes, this is not high brow literature – but it’s good clean fun right now. A healthy escape!