How would you interpret ‘if the truth be known’ here?
Mr. Shepherd offered his help, and he was a whiz. He would take our A, B, and C stamps downtown on Mondays, adding everyone’s meat points and so forth to get the best items first. Then sail through the week entire, with food to spare.
His trick was the fruits and vegetables. These weren’t rationed, it was mainly the packaged goods, soups and canned meats and all such things they needed to send overseas. If the truth be known, Mrs. Bittle (who failed to make the stamp book spread over the whole ration period) probably thought peas grew ready-frozen on the vine and cheese came from the Wej-Cut package, not a cow.

How would you interpret ‘if the truth be known’ in the sentence: If the truth be known, Mrs. Bittle…?
What’s the truth?
Thanks!
And it’s from The Lacuna by Kingsolver.

Question

How would you interpret ‘if the truth be known’ here?
Mr. Shepherd offered his help, and he was a whiz. He would take our A, B, and C stamps downtown on Mondays, adding everyone’s meat points and so forth to get the best items first. Then sail through the week entire, with food to spare.
His trick was the fruits and vegetables. These weren’t rationed, it was mainly the packaged goods, soups and canned meats and all such things they needed to send overseas. If the truth be known, Mrs. Bittle (who failed to make the stamp book spread over the whole ration period) probably thought peas grew ready-frozen on the vine and cheese came from the Wej-Cut package, not a cow.

How would you interpret ‘if the truth be known’ in the sentence: If the truth be known, Mrs. Bittle…?
What’s the truth?
Thanks!
And it’s from The Lacuna by Kingsolver.

Answer

The author uses the phrase  to  suggest that he or she is dropping  all pretensions  and about to tell you a  blunt truth.  As writing goes,  it's a bit of fluff, or what is termed "flowery" rhetoric.

Of course,  our   natural supposition is that people will be telling us  "the truth" to begin  with; but an author or speaker  can  suggest that they are letting you  in  on some kind of a secret.

.     The same effect can be obtained  by a phrasing like this also:

"Frankly,  Mrs. Bittle (who failed to make the stamp book spread over the whole ration period) probably thought peas grew ready-frozen on the vine and cheese came from the Wej-Cut package, not a cow."

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