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Paul Jaskunas Book Review

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Plot Summary of Hidden
"Six years after Maggie Wilson sent her husband, Nate Duke, to prison for an assault that nearly killed her, an unknown prisoner confesses to the crime. Maggie is thrown into an inner turmoil as she turns obsessively to examining her memories of the fateful night, and is consumed by guilt - alternately, for doubting herself and for accusing her husband of something he may not have done.

Being forced to examine her memories also results in her dwelling on her early days with Nate. She remembers their whirlwind courtship, their wedding and their early days as newlyweds; there is no question that Nate is a little too free with his hands. Episodes that begin in shows of affection escalate frighteningly to beatings, and even rape. It is really no wonder that Maggie believes so strongly that Nate was the man who assaulted her, but as one by one, her detractors, her family, her therapist and even her geriatric neighbour - her closest ally - are convinced otherwise, she is forced to question not only her memory but also her heart's knowledge.


"

Nandini Seshadri, Resident Scholar

"Maggie Wilson falls in love with and later marries Nate Duke. Nate becomes more abusive as time marches on while Maggie withdraws, sometimes into the arms of a work place friend. Eventually, Maggie is beaten, almost to death. Her mind and fear tell her it was her husband, Nate. Who else could have done this to her?
Another inmate also confesses to the crime six years after her husband has been imprisoned for the same. Nate is released from jail but Maggie is still confused about who smacked her around."

Jody T. Bixby, Resident Scholar



Review Analysis of Hidden
Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about books by breaking them down into many different literary elements, all of which are searchable (click here).
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Tone of book? - thoughtful
Time/era of story - present (2000-2010)
Romance/Romance Problems Yes
Kind of romance: - marriage/relationship going to pieces
Family, struggle with Yes
Struggle with: - Husband
Crime & Police story Yes
Story of - wrongly accused clearing name
Kind of sex: - rape
Is this an adult or child's book? - Adult or Young Adult Book
Taboo sex story? Yes

Main Character
Gender - Female
Profession/status: - journalist
Age: - 20's-30's
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events? Yes
Ethnicity/Nationality - White (American)
How sensitive is this character? - sensitive to others' feelings - middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Average intelligence - Smarter than most other characters
Physique - average physique

Main Adversary
Identity: - Male
Age: - 20's-30's - 60's-90's
Profession/status: - business executive - wealthy
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in: - a little/some - an average amount
How sensitive is this character? - mean, arrogant
Sense of humor - Cynical sense of humor
Intelligence - Average intelligence
Physique - very athletic - average physique

Setting
How much descriptions of surroundings? - 2 ()
United States Yes
The US: - Northeast
Farm/Ranch? Yes
Farm/Ranch: - farm
Small town? Yes
Small town people: - nice, like Andy/Opie/Aunt Bee - hostile, like Gomer Pyle on steroids

Style
Person - mostly 1st - mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death? - generic/vague references to death/punishment
Sex in book? Yes
What kind of sex: - vague references - descript of kissing - rape/molest (yeech!)
Unusual Style: - a lot of flashback and forwards - a lot of stream of consciousness
Amount of dialog - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog - significantly more descript than dialog
Most similar books to Hidden
The Deep End by Joy Fielding
Goldfish Dreams by Jim Hines
Starting Over by Robin Pilcher
Disgrace by J.M. Coetzee
To Have and To Hold by Jane Green


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Paul Jaskunas Resident Scholar Profiles

TOP SCHOLAR:
  
Jody T. Bixby  

SCHOLARS:
Nandini Seshadri  


Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s).
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