A Small Affair : A Novel
Flora Collins
336 pages
MIRA
published December 27, 2022
Buy Links:
Bookshop.org | B&N | IndieBound | Books A Million | Amazon | Goodreads
About the book:
A twisting novel of psychological suspense about a young woman whose life is torn apart when her wealthy ex-lover is found dead, along with his wife.
Vera is ruthlessly ambitious, beautiful by her own account, and knows how to get exactly what she wants–no matter who stands in the way. When she starts a relationship with a wealthy older man who tells her he’s separated from his wife, she thinks litte of it. After only a few dates, she ends things, but that’s only the beginning. Days later, the man and his wife are found dead in their home, leaving behind a note saying Vera’s rejection had driven him to the horrible act of violence.
Vera is immediately blamed for the couple’s deaths, demonized by the press, fired from her job, and when stalkers and paparazzi begin to haunt her apartment, she flees to her mother’s house upstate. A year later, emerging from a cocoon of self-pity, she tries to re-enter the world, to get her job back—or any job—but the specter of scandal still clings to her. Then she’s invited to a memorial for the wife of the man she had an affair with. As she learns more about the family, and about the couple and their friends, she begins to suspect there was much more to the story than a simple affair gone wrong. In a quest for redemption, Vera soon begins uncovering layers of lies and close-kept secrets held by an inner-circle of filthy rich tech millionaires who will go to any lengths to protect their reputations.
My Review:
What an interesting read. I was never sure where this one was going, but I wanted to know what was happening. Told by multiple narrators in multiple timelines, we are introduced to Vera, Odilie, Tom and various others and what surrounded Tom and Odilie’s deaths. My guesses as to what was really up ranged from the obvious to the absurd and none were correct. An interesting statement on who do you really know and how what you put out on social media may not be interpreted how you meant it.
While this is a slow burn of a mystery, it really felt more like a study in the characters. I wasn’t really a fan of any of them. Actually I should say I would think I liked one then I would find out a little more about them and go nah. But I don’t find it a hinderance reading a book with unlikeable characters so long as there is a catch that draws me in. And in this one I was desperate to know the story behind what happened as it slowly unraveled. You are not left hanging and you do find out what really happened and you will never ever figure it out.
Grab a hot chocolate or maybe an aperol spritz and hunker down for this twisty tale.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Flora Collins was born and raised in New York City and has never left, except for a four-year stint at Vassar College. When she’s not writing, she can be found watching reality shows that were canceled after one season or attempting to eat soft-serve ice cream in bed (sometimes simultaneously). Nanny Dearest was her first novel.
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