Author: Tamar Cohen
Publisher: Free Press
Source: I received a copy from the publisher but this did not affect my review
What's the Story?:
From Goodreads.com: "For five years, Sally and Clive have been lost in a passionate affair. Now he has dumped her to devote himself to his wife and family, and Sally is left in freefall. It starts with a casual stroll past his house, and popping into the brasserie where his son works. Then Sally starts following Clive’s wife and daughter on Facebook. But that’s alright, isn’t it? These are perfectly normal things to do. Aren’t they?
Not since Fatal Attraction has the fallout from an illicit affair been exposed in such a sharp, darkly funny, and disturbing way: The Mistress’s Revenge is a truly exciting fiction debut. After all, who doesn’t know an otherwise sane woman who has gone a little crazy when her heart was broken?"
My Two Cents:
Anyone who has had a bad break-up or knows someone that has had a bad break-up (and who doesn't?) knows what a broken heart looks like. After a torrid love affair, Sally finds herself alone and hurting. She increasingly falls into a self-destructive pattern of remaining obsessed with her married lover, Clive. Sally knew his family before the affair and after the affair, takes comfort in noting the moves and activities of Clive's family even going so far to talk to Clive's wife, Susan, about Susan and Clive's recent marital strife.
Under the guise of healing, Sally begins writing in a journal but all of her writings are directed at Clive and only serve to further help Sally spiral downward. Sally begins following Susan and Clive and Susan's daughter on Facebook. She tries to see Susan whenever possible. She lets her family down over and over again. Yet with all of this, she still seems to be oblivious to how much she is destroying her own life!
It was hard to watch Sally go through everything that she was going through and in some ways, it made me shudder. I've had my heart broken before and through trial and error (oh so much error), I finally learned that the best thing you can do is do what you need to do to move on. Obsession doesn't do anything. Sally's ignoring of her own family was heartbreaking (she forgets her own son's birthday) but anyone that has had a broken heart can understand how one could be so oblivious to the things around her. Although in some parts, Sally's desperation is a turn off, especially because Clive doesn't seem to be that great of a guy.
This was definitely an interesting read. Cohen does a great job at getting inside Sally's head and really making her a realistic character. I can't help drawing the obvious comparisons between the movie, Fatal Attraction, and this book. Sally could definitely commiserate with the wronged woman in that movie.
My Review:
3.5 out of 5 stars
Oh, big OUCH for the topic of this book and the reminders that, yes, sometimes we DO have that bit of self-destructive nature. Sounds like an interesting read!
ReplyDeleteI have this book coming in the mail from Goodreads. Great review, I am curious to see what I will think of it. It is not a book subject I would normally read.
ReplyDeleteMakes you thankful to not come across the sorts of Sally in real life. lol
ReplyDeleteSounds like a great book, might just add it to my list at Goodreads.
Hey Meg :),
ReplyDeleteI've had my heart broken too and I agree with you that all you can do is go through trial and error and move on. This sounds like an interesting book and one that a lot of women could relate to...thanks for sharing your review!
@booksNyarn I found my head shaking my head at things that Sally did in the book. I think we all have a tendency to forget that we all can have very self-destructive natures when something gets to us badly enough.
ReplyDelete@Anne Definitely let me know what you think of it!
ReplyDelete@Just one page at a time Yeah, the bad thing is that I think we all have a little Sally in us!
ReplyDelete@Rebecca I do think a lot of women will be able to relate to this one!
ReplyDelete