Starred review from June 27, 2005
Rich and psychologically astute, British author Stevenson's impressive second novel (after 2004's An Empty Room
) refracts the life of an upper-middle-class English family—Alistair Langford, a prominent London lawyer; his devoted wife, Rosalind; and two grown children, Luke and Sophie—through the prism of a single, scandalous affair Alistair has with a witness in one of his cases. The event exposes the intricate web of lies that forms Alistair's life, in particular the flagrant denial of his middle-class past as he pursues success and respectability by virtue of his amazing intellect. The most intricate portrait is that of 28-year-old Luke, an advertising executive who embarks on a torrid affair with a high-strung, beautiful and self-absorbed actress, only to be emotionally devastated when she leaves him. Luke's increasingly desperate ploys to win her back are a key narrative arc, though the main story is Alistair's. A fine writer who paints her scenes with loving detail, Stevenson also depicts her characters' thoughts and insights with an acuity reminiscent of Ian McEwan's recent triumph, Saturday
. The increasingly baroque plot threatens to overwhelm the novel, but this is nonetheless the work of a writer to be watched. Agent, Andrew Wylie.
Starred review from August 15, 2005
To themselves and others, the Langford family presents a picture of near perfection. Apart from some early episodes of anorexia and depression involving daughter Sophie, they are a family to be envied. Alistair is a successful and respected lawyer; his wife, Rosalind, manages a home-furnishing business while capably tending to her own gracious home; handsome, athletic son Luke is an advertising manager with an expensive flat and a beautiful new girlfriend; and Sophie, now recovered, works as a London journalist. Then a vicious attack on Alistair rocks their comfortable, self-satisfied world. As his carefully constructed past begins to unravel, he puts his career and home life in jeopardy by giving in to temptation offered by a witness in a high-profile case. At the same time, Luke, too, begins to self-destruct when his girlfriend leaves him. What begins as a mystery soon evolves into an affecting drama that will leave readers caring deeply about the ups and downs of the Langfords. From the author of "An Empty Room", a Whitebread First Novel Award nominee; highly recommended. -Barbara Love, Kingston Frontenac P.L., Kingston, Ont.
Copyright 2005 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
August 1, 2005
Distinguished barrister Alistair Langford has never been one to throw caution to the winds. Since childhood, he has purposefully adhered to a rigid demeanor, setting about achieving his life's mission--the proper home, proper wife, proper career--with a quiet zealousness. How, then, does one explain Alistair's total abandonment of all these lofty ideals when he heedlessly has a sordid one-night stand with a defense witness in a high-profile case he's trying? The scandal, luridly exposed in Britain's infamous tabloid gossip rags, predictably destroys his career and endangers his marriage; and yet the disgrace is oddly liberating, even as it reveals shocking secrets about a past he'd worked so hard to renounce. Along with a complex subplot involving Alistair's ne'er-do-well son, whose own failed love affair sends him into paroxysms of grief and dreams of depraved retribution, Stevenson limns the depths of passion and privacy in a quietly tense cautionary tale that forces her peevish characters to cope with the fallout from their moral ambiguities.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2005, American Library Association.)