The Affairs of Others
A suspenseful, erotic novel rich with emotion and psychological truth
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- £2.99
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- £2.99
Publisher Description
For fans of Siri Hustvedt and Nicole Krauss, THE AFFAIRS OF OTHERS is an exceptional debut about the awakening of a young widow and 'carries a considerable erotic charge, but there's much more to it besides: grief is Amy Grace Loyd's subject and her narrative is as psychologically acute as it is sensual' (DAILY MAIL).
In the five years since her young husband's death, Celia Cassill has retreated from view. She has moved from one New York neighbourhood to another, but she has not moved on. Now the owner of a small apartment building, she has chosen tenants who will not intrude upon her grief.
Everything changes when a new tenant moves in upstairs. Intoxicating and dangerous, Hope is on the run from a failed marriage and in thrall to a seductive, sinister man. As her noisy affair destroys the building's quiet, and another tenant disappears, Celia is forced back into contact with life through violence, sex and the secrets barely concealed within the brownstone's walls.
'An assured and moving debut novel. It has the kind of real tenderness and simplicity that takes great skill to achieve' A. L. Kennedy
'A moody, sensual debut... both important and true' NEW YORKER
'The first novel from the ex-literary editor of Playboy carries a considerable erotic charge, but there's much more to it besides: grief is Amy Grace Loyd's subject and her narrative is as psychologically acute as it is sensual. What's more she as good on the texture of spring in the city as she is on the faces and flesh. A classy debut by a sure-footed storyteller' DAILY MAIL
'From start to finish, Loyd's prose flows exquisitely through the story, as she limns the depths of the protagonist's mind, the complexity of human intimacy, and the idiosyncrasies of each new character with the grace of a seasoned novelist' VANITY FAIR
'Mesmerizing' ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY
'A wonderful novel, beautifully written and sensuous, rich with emotion and. Amy Grace Loyd's prose hums with desire as she creates a Brooklyn walk-up that comes alive with the yearning of its tenants, and moves them toward an unforgettable ending - suspenseful, erotic and ultimately hopeful' Jess Walter, author of BEAUTIFUL RUINS
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
The former literary editor of Playboy makes her fiction debut with an intimate portrayal of the walls erected by a woman after her husband's death, and how impulsive encounters with others break them down. Widowed five years earlier, Celia Cassill now clings to her isolation, allowing herself happiness only in memories of her marriage books read, movies watched, bodies shared. She chose the tenants in her Brooklyn brownstone for their discretion and respect for "separateness." When one of them moves to France, she reluctantly allows him to sublet his apartment to Hope, a beautiful, newly divorced, middle-aged woman recovering from her husband's infidelity. Not long after Hope moves in, another of Celia's tenants a retired ferryboat captain disappears, and his daughter holds Celia responsible. That messiness, as well as Hope's spinning-out-of-control life, prove intolerable to Celia, who wanders the city in search of her missing tenant, listening in on the tawdry goings-on in Hope's apartment, and recounting some of her actions during and after the death of her husband. Celia witnesses and participates in small acts of violence and sexual exploration, and her past and Hope's present force down Celia's walls. Lloyd's character study is narrow in scope but long on intensity and emotion.
