53 pages • 1 hour read
A. R. TorreEvery Last Secret
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2020A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Themes
Obsession with Wealth and Status
Every Last Secret serves as a cautionary tale against the obsession with wealth and status. Both Neena and Cat are obsessed with maintaining (Cat) and securing (Neena) their places in their affluent social circle. Since both women come from poorer backgrounds, they see William—rich, successful, established—as their ticket to the lives they want. While Cat already has the man and the lifestyle, Neena aspires to it. At its core, their power struggle is less about the man and more about what he offers: the possessions, privilege, and status that come with money, as represented by superficial trappings such as a beautiful home.
Each woman’s obsession with wealth and status is made clear from the start. In the book’s prologue, Neena is obsessed with her own appearance; she’s being interrogated for attempted murder and fixates on appearing young and wealthy: “My hair, freshly cut and dyed. My skin, glowing and Botox smooth, despite the horrific lighting in this place. My body, trim and thin underneath the designer workout gear. My wedding ring, still in place, the large diamond glittering from my hand like a spotlight” (2). Cat likewise notes the importance of a picture-perfect appearance while acknowledging the effort it requires: “That was the secret to success in this town. Presenting a picture of effortless perfection with behind-the-scenes ruthless hard work” (39).
Throughout the narrative, both women fixate on symbols of social status. When they go to the country club, for example, Cat disparages Neena’s guest wristband: “Neena was displaying hers proudly, unaware that it was a giant ‘Not Rich Enough to Be Here’ red flag” (77). Neena stresses about her house not being as nice as the Winthorpes’ house: “I was overwhelmed by the discrepancies between us. Cat and me. William and Matt. Their gorgeous showcase mansion and our ugly foreclosure” (36). For both women, the outward signals of wealth are as important, if not more important, than the wealth itself.
With Cat’s and Neena’s obsession with maintaining or acquiring the trappings of wealth, the theme introduces an anti-capitalist argument. Both Neena and Cat seem permanently dissatisfied, always wanting more. Neena’s fierce desire to “upgrade” (“My needs had increased, and I was starting to become desperate for the life I didn’t have” [20]) leads to her downfall. While Cat may win the power struggle with Neena, she is ultimately unhappy. At the book’s conclusion, she admits to having only fleeting moments of happiness and adds, “To be honest, I’m not sure I deserve anything more” (289). The implication is clear: While it may be tempting to chase wealth and status, investing time and effort in superficial trappings of success doesn’t guarantee core happiness.
Manipulation and Deceit
The plot of Every Last Secret revolves around manipulation and deceit and suggests that everyone has the capacity for deception. The narrative suggests it’s nearly impossible to know anyone—a friend, family, or a partner of many years—completely; there are no guarantees against deception. Neena has been deceitful by having multiple affairs, one of which was with Matt’s brother. William—by engaging in the affair with Neena and then gaslighting (a type of manipulation where one person convinces another that their perception of reality is false) his wife, Cat, about it—also proves to be deceitful. When Cat (rightfully) questions William about his closeness to Neena, he responds defensively. In one instance, he says, “You’re that insecure about this? You want me to fire her, too? Is that what you want? Should we move to a different house?” (126). In another instance—by this time he’s already had a sexual relationship with Neena—William says, “That’s your insecurity and paranoia talking” (169). He denies her perception of reality in order to avoid responsibility for his infidelity.
Cat is arguably the most deceitful character. While Cat pretends to be shocked by William’s affair, she’s known about it all along. While Cat pretends to be a victim of poisoning by Neena, Cat has poisoned herself to frame Neena. While Cat pretends to be concerned for Matt after the hitman incident, she is the one who hired the hitman. Cat even deceives herself—she insists on clinging to her life with William even though it doesn’t make her happy. By the book’s end, she admits she experiences happiness only in fleeting moments, explaining, “To be honest, I’m not sure I deserve anything more” (289).
The book suggests that deceit damages everyone involved. Neena’s deception leads to her life ending up in shambles (as Cat puts it, “Goodbye, reputation. Goodbye, career. Goodbye, husband” [269]). Cat’s deception leaves her stuck in a life she doesn’t love. William’s deception leaves him at a disadvantage in the power hierarchy with Cat. In the epilogue, William expresses gratitude for Cat’s sparing him, realizing that she could have taken him down along with Neena (by making it look like William and Neena conspired to kill Matt). While the various characters engage in deceit for self-serving purposes, the result is never what they imagined.
The Complexities of Marital Relationships
Both of the married couples in the book, the Ryders and the Winthorpes, have longstanding marriages. As the book explores the intricacies of each couple’s relationship, it reveals the complexities of marriage. First, there is the baggage each couple bears. The Ryders have a troubling history: Matt’s murder of Neena’s abusive father binds them, and Neena has been unfaithful for years (and Matt eventually admits he knows). The Winthorpes also have had issues; Cat describes an incident six years before the narrative, when she discovered William’s flirty messages with his then-assistant, Brenda. The incident shocked Cat, as Brenda—older than William and, in Cat’s eyes, not attractive—was not someone Cat perceived as a threat to her marriage: “She was a woman whom William would never have given a second glance to, yet he had” (135). Cat and William’s struggles with fertility add another layer of difficulty to their marriage. Dishonesty, violence, infidelity, and unexpected challenges have complicated both relationships.
After everything these four have done to one another and despite everyone’s respective dissatisfaction, the couples stay together. Cat knows William had an affair but stays with him. William knows how ruthless Cat can be but stays with her. Matt believes Neena tried to kill him but wants to be with her anyway. Meanwhile, while Matt isn’t Neena’s dream husband, she misses him when he’s gone. Because each is getting something from their partner, Matt and Neena need each other; the same is true of William and Cat. Their respective needs create a dependency and a bond, healthy or otherwise. Cat is particularly fixated on the idea of William needing her, perhaps because William does not need Cat for anything tangible. Cat needs William since he’s the one who raised her from lowly intern to unofficial queen of Atherton. Cat’s obsession with being needed first appears when William says of Neena’s work, “It’s what I needed,” and Cat retorts, “What Winthorpe Tech needed” (88). Cat hates the idea that William needs Neena. Then, in Chapter 23, Cat is thrilled when William tells her, “I need you here” (136). The complications in both relationships have fostered codependency between the partners that each is unwilling to break.
