
Born in prison, Angel’s first 18 months of life are spent with her mother Mary, but after that she is passed onto her drug-addled father Luke and his hairdresser girlfriend, Sofia. Thus begins the story of a special, young girl, An Angel With Secrets by Marti Eicholz. By the time Angel is six years old, she decides it would be better off for her to be on her own, so she runs away from Sofia’s hairdressing salon and heads out on a journey of discovery where she meets true caring and true love at the hands of “strangers”. We watch this incredibly gifted and talented young girl grow into a young woman with a depth of understanding and compassion rare in one so young.
An Angel With Secrets is a coming of age story that defies the usual scenarios. Angel is incredibly mature for her young age and teaches everyone who comes into contact with her the true meaning of love and family. What I particularly liked about Eicholz’s story is the way in which she seamlessly wove a depth of different characters into the story, demonstrating the coincidences and synchronicities of the Universe that are a part of our everyday life, but which we often fail to see. Everywhere Angel went she touched those who came into contact with her and somehow every character seemed inextricably linked to each other and to Angel. If you enjoy evocative and meaningful prose wrapped up in a sweet story, then An Angel With Secrets will definitely appeal to you.