COLETTE FREEDMAN
Authors - A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
The Consequences (2014)
Following on from The Affair, this sequel tells the story of what happens after the end of an affair - from the perspectives of first the mistress, Stephanie; then the husband Robert; and finally the wife Kathy. The scene is set one snowy Christmas, when Kathy turns up on Stephanie's doorstep, having discovered her husband's betrayal. After the confrontation, Stephanie tells her lover to stay with his wife. Will he? And can Kathy ever trust him again? The three narrators generally go over the same scenes, which allows readers to see how each reacts to events. It is a hard narrative to pull off -but ultimately Freedman does - although the repetition of dialogue meant I often skipped passages. Overall it's the sort of book that will keep you up well past your bedtime, with a satisfying ending. Even though it's a sequel, it works as a stand-alone too (I hadn't read the first novel).
The Affair (2013)
The biggest lies are the ones we tell ourselves ... Kathy and Robert have been married for eighteen years, have two children and seem to be living a happy life. That is until Kathy finds a number on Robert's phone that brings back past memories that throw her future into jeopardy. Kathy must decide whether to trust her instincts or the man she lies next to in bed at night. Told through three stories, The Wife, The Husband and The Mistress, we discover the motivations behind an affair and begin to delve deeper into what it really means to be in love. This book will have you questioning what you would do for love whilst cleverly making you feel for each character in turn, leaving you questioning where your allegiance lies. An astonishingly good read. (LL)
