My Lover's Lover - Hardcover

O'Farrell, Maggie

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0747271119 ISBN 13: 9780747271116

Publisher: Headline Review, 2002

Synopsis

A compulsive tale of betrayal and its impact upon a group of flatmates and lovers, Maggie O'Farrell's second novel does not disappoint. With the sensuality, passion and emotional acuteness which characterised her debut, she has written a gripping exploration of the ambivalence at the heart of intimate relationships, a keenly observed portrayal of shifting metropolitan lives and a superbly imagined story of a haunting. When Lily moves into Marcus's flat and plunges headlong into a relationship, she must contend not merely with the disapproval of flatmate Aidan, but with a more intangible, hostile presence. Could it be that Sinead, Marcus's ex, is trying to communicate with her? When Lily begins to 'see' Sinead first about the flat, and then on the streets of London, she must question not merely her sanity, but whether the man she loves is someone she can, or indeed ought to live with at all.

About this title

Review:

Maggie O'Farrell was heralded as a major new writer with her debut novel, After You'd Gone. And here she is with My Lover's Lover, demonstrating again her extraordinary talent. The coda to the novel's final part is Evelyn Waugh's "To know and love one other human being is the root of all wisdom". It's the choices and chances, the compromises and delusions, made in the search for love that preoccupy O'Farrell's central characters. The setting is 30-something London, New York, and rural China. Lily and Marcus meet at a gallery opening; almost the day after, they're sharing his chic loft, and soon after that, his bed. But if this sounds like chick-lit, any similarities end here. Narrated in four parts, O'Farrell moves adeptly from third to first person, from present to past to future.

Through Lily's account in the first section, a claustrophobic fear pulsates: she is haunted by Marcus's previous lover, Sinead, who seems to be everywhere--"The flat seems sticky with Sinead's fingerprints. [Lily] doesn't know what to do." But according to Marcus, Sinead "is no longer with us". On every page, O'Farrell's transcription of the body as register of the emotions, of fear and desire, is breathtaking. Language dissects and insinuates; revelations unfurl and double back. Sinead's incredulity at Marcus's being "not exactly faithful" and Marcus's old friend Aidan's consternation at his own secret longings are described with such tactility, such spare suggestiveness that these lovers' tales take on a brooding, yet haphazard quality. O'Farrell is an insightful and passionate chronicler of human emotions. It's compulsive and thrilling stuff. --Ruth Petrie

Review:

A sensual, creepy tale of passion and jealousy - should cement her reputation (Mirror)

A gripping exploration of the ambivalence at the heart of intimate relationships; a keenly observed portrayal of shifting metropolitan lives and a superbly imagined story of a haunting (You magazine, Mail on Sunday)

Those who loved and wept over her debut, After You'd Gone... will not be disappointed... Insightful and emotionally raw (Daily Telegraph)

Absorbing and just as beautifully written (as After You'd Gone)... the writing is so convincing that even an earth-bound old sceptic like me was almost seduced into believing in ghosts... a sensual celebration of language (Mavis Cheek, Daily Express)

O'Farrell's debut novel, After You'd Gone, was un-putdownable. Her second book is equally captivating, exploring the devastating effects of obsession... O'Farrell's novel, written with passion and clarity, beautifully describes how old relationships can haunt new lovers' (Elle (Read of the Month))

O'Farrell builds the suspense beautifully... Distrustful of the man she loves, and haunted by a woman she believes is now dead, Lily is a 21st century equivalent of du Maurier's heroine [Rebecca] and of Jane Eyre too - of any woman haunted by her partner's first love... O'Farrell is so good at exploring the most inscrutable aspects of relationships, and those who lure us into them, that it would almost be a crime for her to stop (Independent on Sunday)

O'Farrell makes masterful use of the industrial setting - all echoing spaces and clanging doors - to create an atmosphere laden with suspense, but just as you think you've got the story figured out, a fresh twist keeps you turning the pages (Good Housekeeping)

Brilliantly evokes the raw pain of breaking up - and the pure relief of moving on (She)

A psychological drama with, at its core, the timeless theme of love betrayed... she is adept at evoking extreme emotions... shock, grief and loss spring from the page as intensely as they did in O'Farrell's first book (Sunday Telegraph)

A story that is much more than a romance, exploring the dark avenues of obsession, and the lingering aftermath of a relationship... Award-winning novelist Maggie O'Farrell has created an unusual, suspenseful tale, laying bare the damage that lovers can do to one another. Her writing is exquisite, her images tangible... O'Farrell understands human nature in frightening depth and skilfully lays a trail of half-truths and mystery to ensnare and enthrall (Time Out)

About this edition

• Publisher: Headline Review
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 0747271119
• ISBN 13: 9780747271116
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 336