Rachel is living a small life in London, but she hasn't always been this way. She reads widely, literary authors such as Sylvia Plath, Jorie Graham and Stevie Smith, which gives us clues to her state of mind. She tells us, at the beginning of her story, that she has forgotten many things but excuses this by saying that her note books don't record everything and that her story happened years ago anyway.
It's the tale of her affair with a work colleague. But their story is far from the mundane suff that happens in almost every workplace at some time or another. The affair turned her life upside down, sending both of them spiralling into chaos and obsession. Now, 10 years later, Rachel wants to be honest about the affair and its aftermath but honesty has its limits. Something terrible happened to Rachel's lover but how? Can Rachel reveal the truth? And what is it?
Anna Raverat has written with deep understanding of what can drive a mind into obsession and chaos, how a combination of factors can plunge an apparently controlled life off the rails to destruction. A lesson in modern living. Recommended.
No comments:
Post a Comment