Mirna Z. (otherworldgirl) reviewed on
Helpful Score: 5
Written in memoir-form, this page-turner tells the story of a middle-aged, married British politician who falls into an obsessive sexual liaison with his son's mysterious girlfriend. In a sparse, occasionally heavy-handed style, the narrator recounts his life as a successful facade concealing a decided lack of feeling, until the fateful meeting which both reveals his nature to him and threatens his entire life -- a sham, but a comfortable sham. Much of the action is told in dialogue form and conveys the emotional undercurrents of even the most casual exchange to great effect. The book served as the basis for the Louis Malle film of the same title, starring Jeremy Irons, Juliette Binoche and Miranda Richardson. I recommend reading the book, then seeing the movie, which fleshes out some elements of the story -- especially the character of the (anti)hero's wife, who doesn't really come into her own till the end of the book, but shines in the movie.
