I like that idea - of the truth being there all the time, concealed.

I'm not absolutely sure I succeeded in this - perhaps someone who's read HoS and fancies a re-read could tell me - but my aim was that Alfie should never tell an outright lie. There are some tricky evasions and lies of ommission, but my intention was that he should never actually lie to Gwen. (And sometimes he is blisteringly honest, but she doesn't realise the full implications of what he's saying.)

Hmmm, well the only outright lies I can think of beside the BIG LIE that he is Alfie Donovan, are the ones about his injuring an arm after Gwen questions him about the photograph and his best friend at school after seeing the old letters, but those are all part of the role he is playing.

Yes. Though I think all the stuff about breaking an arm and struggling at school could be true, though just not true of the boy in the photo.

I think Alfie almost wants Gwen to guess, wants her to bring the charade to an end, but he lacks the will to do it himself. He drops hints though, eg describing himself in Ch 1 as "a biological impossibility." (I bet you all read over that line without asking what Alfie meant by it!)

Linda, I actually assumed you are correct once I finished the book. Alfie gave so many hints throughout the book that once all was revealed, I got the distinct feeling that it would be a relief for Alfie to have it over and out there. Keeping such a secret wears a soul down. There is something to be said for confession being good for the soul!

I just wish Gwen had understood and taken it better but by this point, she already loved Marek and who could blame her. Ultimately, they wouldn't have worked out anyway. I think Alfie needs someone who knows him without the mythology of Alfie interfering. Does that make sense? Until he was honest with himself, no relationship could work because it was based on lies.

I quite agree about Alfie wanting release from his role play. And I think another woman could have forgiven him and been more understanding (especially without the distraction of Marek.) But Gwen had had so much lying in her life already, so much that wasn't authentic. I can't remember where it occurs, but at some point Alfie says something like, "Gwen doesn't ask for much, but she insists what she has is real." When you work in theatre & tv (as I have) you can get sickened by the phoneyness and the posturing. Authenticity is an issue for me personally and it was also an issue for Gwen. I think she would have finished with Alfie, even if Marek hadn't been an alternative.

All seems to be forgiven by the end of the book when Marek and Gwen ask Alfie to be their best man. Gwen, Marek and Alfie/Tom have come full circle and have a second chance at forming a new family where everyone accepts and loves one another.

Yes, my idea was that really Alfie and Gwen were friends who had wound up sleeping together. It had never been love, just mutual attraction, friendship and having a lot in common - far more than they realised.

I envisage Gwen and Alfie remaining good friends after the book ends and him being an "uncle" figure to Gwen and Marek's child.

We haven't really discussed Marek yet and he's very worthy of quite a few lines. Gwen seems drawn to him immediately as if he is an anchor in a dark storm. I wonder does Marek feel the attraction as strongly or has he closed himself off so much from emotion other than in his music that it take him awhile longer to thaw as evidenced by the line"...he wondered when was the last time he's seen an attractive woman or rather registered one"(Kindle location 1515-25)

I think there's an immediate sexual attraction between them (well, that's what I tried to convey!) and I think it takes them both by surprise - Gwen because she's already in a relationship with another man and Marek because he thought he kept his guard up all the time so he didn't get involved with people.

If you look at the section "inside Marek's head" towards the end of Ch 8, he makes it clear that he had felt drawn to talking to Gwen about his past because he thought she might understand. He also admits to himself that he'd like to take her to bed.

But apart from the sexual rapport, I think they hit it off psychologically because they both sense that the other is damaged, yet able to offer some sort of understanding of that damage. Obviously to begin with, they only recognise that at an unconscious level, but I think it accounts for the speed at which their relationship develops. If Marek hasn't been in a relationship for some time and has tried to shut off from women, then I think what he feels for Gwen could be pretty overwhelming. But also morally confusing. She is almost 20 years younger than him. I don't think he's too comfortable with that.