What’s Not Said by Valerie Taylor

The saying, “What you don’t know won’t hurt you” has probably crossed your mind. What’s Not Said, a thought-provoking and entertaining book by Valerie Taylor, demonstrates that this isn’t always the case. We follow along as middle-aged Kassie and Mike negotiate the breakdown of their marriage in Valerie Taylor’s interesting novel, which is hilarious, sad, and nuanced.

I adored the characters, especially (Bad) Kassie, who is quickly losing her composure as her plans fall apart, douchebag Mike, who is endearingly ordinary and bland despite his male manoeuvres, and Chris, who feels out of his depth with an unstable older woman. I really appreciated the older characters in this book who had healthy sex desires.

Since the beginning of their marriage, Kassie has acted as Mike’s puppet due to his dominance and emotional abuse. She meets Chris while on a solo vacation. Chris is compassionate, considerate, and attentive—everything Mike isn’t. While still married to Mike, Kassie savours what Chris has to offer and starts this long distance relationship. She has been thinking about getting divorced, but something prevents it from happening. She feels inspired to move forward with the divorce after Chris moves to Boston.

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The characters were likeable and realistic because despite the abundance of lies, bitterness, wrath, and other negative feelings, there was still a strong love, or at least a residual liking. They are practical in their conflicting actions, as Kassie assured Mike to allay his fears, “I’m divorcing you, not deserting you.” Overall, I found this to be a wickedly entertaining read with a soap opera-like storytelling approach.

The tale in Valerie Taylor’s book What’s Not Said: A Novel is brilliant, funny, and witty. It is highly inspirational and strikes the ideal balance between being a farce about a couple striving to have it all and failing miserably and being a sincere portrayal of a marriage that has outlived itself. I like how the three major characters’ points of view are represented throughout the book. You gain a small understanding of their worldview, their thinking processes, and the personalities of the characters.

Even as it strayed into the realm of unbelievable coincidence, the book was fascinating. All of the characters had amazing weaknesses, but these flaws let them come to life and establish a connection with the reader. Everyone should read this novel, but middle-aged, married women in particular should do so since we can all recognise a few truths in these shamelessly repugnant people. I’m eager to read more from this author.

About The Book

Kassie O’Callaghan’s meticulous plans to divorce her emotionally abusive husband, Mike, and move in with Chris, a younger man she met five years ago on a solo vacation in Venice, are disrupted when she finds out Mike has chronic kidney disease—something he’s concealed from her for years. Once again, she postpones her path to freedom—at least, until she pokes around his pajama drawer and discovers his illness is the least of his deceits.

But Kassie is no angel, either. As she struggles to justify her own indiscretions, the secret lives she and Mike have led collide head-on, revealing a tangled web of sex, lies, and DNA. Still, mindful of her vows, Kassie commits to helping her husband find an organ donor. In the process, she uncovers a life-changing secret. Problem is, if she reveals it, her own immorality will be exposed, which means she has an impossible decision to make: Whose life will she save—her husband’s or her own?