A Hidden Fate
Oct 27th, 2026
A HIDDEN FATE
She Writes Press, Fall 2026
Baltimore, 1986. Julia and Matt are newlyweds, in love and eager to begin graduate school. Julia longs to leave behind haunting memories of her mother’s devastating decline in Maryland, but she unexpectedly learns the truth her father has hidden: Her mother died of a fatal genetic illness. Julia now faces a 50 percent chance of inheriting the same fate, and every child she longs to have will carry the same risk.
When an unplanned pregnancy rocks their careful plans, Julia and Matt face agonizing uncertainty and impossible choices. Desires and convictions pull them toward starkly different paths, each possibly leading to misery.
As the couple struggles to protect the fragile, fierce love that first bound them together, they face the cost of secrets and the ache of betrayal—but they also discover the hope of forgiveness.
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Praise for A Hidden Fate
“Sensitive and emotional, A Hidden Fate explores the life of a young married couple as they struggle with the threat of the wife developing a devastating illness. Efron’s characters are so well drawn that the reader will feel the intensity of their relationship as they travel the tenuous journey of heartache and self-discovery.”
—Terry Persun
winner of three Book Excellence Awards
“A powerful, complex love story about newlyweds forced to make agonizing choices. The stakes are enormous. In her compassionate novel, Efron skillfully probes the psyche of a woman struggling with herself, her husband, and others over wrenching decisions that will affect them all.”
—Ed Levy
creator of the musicals Bystander, Trifles, Lucy/Bluebeard, & more
“Newlyweds move to a new and vibrant life: city; home; challenging graduate studies and their own future together. Like paper in wind everything is challenged by shocking news—medical secrets blast into present life and Julia must balance health and hope with a dark and cruel family history. The hardest thing is to think what to do. With tender yet clear-eyed intelligence, Efron holds the reader to the novel’s question: does one insist on learning the future when the answer may be devastating?”
—Sandra Scofield
author of Beyond Deserving: A Novel and The Scene Book
“For many women, the longing for motherhood collides with harsh biological realities. A Hidden Fate is an engrossing, suspenseful novel following one woman‘s path as she confronts that collision—and the impossible choices she must make.”
—Monica Starkman MD
author of The End of Miracles: A Novel and Psychology Today columnist
“Family secrets, the rights of parents, maternal love and the importance of living one’s life to the fullest all come into play as Julia, the protagonist in Carol Efron’s intriguing novel, faces an excruciating and fateful decision.”
—Jerry Burger PhD
author of Shadows of 1915: A Novel
“Psychiatrist Carol Efron brings her unique experiences and perspectives to bear in crafting a family drama about closely guarded secrets and life-altering decisions. The characters in this heart-breaking novel tale confront Freud’s dictum that “biology is destiny” with fear, courage, and love, as they grapple with the dilemmas that will one day face us all. A most compelling story.”
—Jason Brandt, Ph.D.
Professor Emeritus, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine