Want to Know a Secret?

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of death, harassment, sexual content, graphic violence, illness, emotional abuse, and physical abuse.

April is a point-of-view character and the primary antagonist in Want to Know a Secret? She is Elliot’s wife and Bobby’s mother. She has a YouTube channel called April’s Sweet Secrets where she makes baked goods and then shares “secrets” with her viewers on how to make theirs turn out better. Julie describes her as “extremely pretty” and “the sort of woman everybody instantly likes” due to her friendly demeanor (262). She constantly makes baked goods for the people in the community, doing her best to ensure that she is on everyone’s good side.

April fixates on how she is perceived by the other mothers in the community, obsessing over ensuring that she is well-liked and included. Throughout the first section of the text, her life begins to unravel as Julie torments her. April’s character emphasizes the theme of Public Appearance Versus Private Persona. She has little regard for her husband or son—or even her well-being; instead, she is only concerned with how the other members of the community see her. When she is arrested and accused of stealing money from the PTA, she is only concerned about the scandal and the gossip that will follow.