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A review by megatsunami
The Secret-Keeper by Kate Coombs
4.0
I loved this book, though I found the subject oddly adult for a children's book. I felt I wanted to share it with other adults rather than children (though my child did like it quite a bit). In this tale, a young woman serves as her village's Secret Keeper. People come and share their secrets with her; the secrets magically turn into objects (a stone, a tin heart) and she keeps them in special drawers. However, over time the isolation (as people are wary of being friends with someone who knows their secrets) and the heaviness of carrying other people's burdens begin to wear on her and she stays in her bed, sick. The village comes together to try and help her, and ultimately two things bring her back to health: one is that everyone shares their happy secrets (which turn into butterflies, rainbows...), and the other is that the potter confesses his love for her.
As a therapist, I felt this book was a wonderful metaphor for the burdens of the therapist role which can lead to burnout. In the end I felt mixed about the outcome: She still carries the weight of the uncomfortable secrets, but each year in the spring the villagers gather to share their happy secrets with her. I wondered whether the villagers could begin to help each other instead - more of a mutual aid model - but this didn't happen. Still, I liked that it brought out some of the important factors in staying energized and motivated to work with people: 1. having your own support network and 2. being able to see and give attention to the resiliency and hope and beauty within the people you work with.
As a therapist, I felt this book was a wonderful metaphor for the burdens of the therapist role which can lead to burnout. In the end I felt mixed about the outcome: She still carries the weight of the uncomfortable secrets, but each year in the spring the villagers gather to share their happy secrets with her. I wondered whether the villagers could begin to help each other instead - more of a mutual aid model - but this didn't happen. Still, I liked that it brought out some of the important factors in staying energized and motivated to work with people: 1. having your own support network and 2. being able to see and give attention to the resiliency and hope and beauty within the people you work with.