Author: Charles Dubow
Review: This book reminded
me of a fictionalized case study of Shirley Glass’s wonderful book on
infidelity, Not Just Friends. The
premise of the latter book is we are most vulnerable to cheating on our spouses
when we feel the most secure and consequently take our relationship for
granted. You see marriages, even great
marriages, need constant nurturing or they become susceptible to corruption. If you make the assumption that you are to “in
love” and it could never happen to you, that is when you stop safe guarding against
threats.
Charles Dubow has perfectly
captured this scenario in his debut novel Indiscretion. Harvey and Madeleine Winslow are the perfect
couple. Happily married, living a
successful life, and bonded with their child.
They have good friends and enjoy each other’s company. Simply put, they are in love. Then enter the young ingénue Claire, a breath
of fresh air into a tight group. At first
they take her in never once sensing the potential dangers that lurk below the
surface. Once she has penetrated their
lives they are helpless to stop the damage that ensues.
The sad truth at the end of
Indiscretion, the beauty their former lives once held is gone forever; the
fabric marred clean through. Everyone begins an affair caught up in the
superficial excitement that it brings, only to discover too late the true deep
and abounding joy that was theirs to begin with. Once that disappointment overcomes the
initial lust the relationship is on its way to being over. And the participants are left with a deep
sense of regret that can never truly be repaired.
Indiscretion is a well
written first novel, both captivating in its plot, and flowing in its
prose. A trick very few first time
novelists can master. Plus it is a
wonderful morality tale that will leave you a little more respectful of your
own relationships. Reading about the
loss of one love can serve to inoculate your own just a little bit. I am looking forward to Dubow’s sophomore
effort,
Synopsis: We’ve all been
around a couple who can engulf the attention of an entire room merely by
occupying it. Harry and Madeleine Winslow are that set; the natural ease
between them is palpable and their chemistry is almost tangible. He is a recent
National Book Award winner with a promising career ahead of him, and she is
blessed with family money, but radiates beauty, elegance, and humility. Whether
they are abroad in Italy after he receives the Rome Prize, in their ambrosial
East Hampton home, or in gritty Manhattan, they are always surrounded by close
friends and those who wish to penetrate their inner circle. During a summer
spent at the beach, they meet 26 year-old Claire and, as the summer blazes on,
she is slowly inducted into their world. Claire can’t help but fall in love
with Harry and Maddy and at the end of the summer, it is no longer enough to
just be one of their hangers-on. Told through the omniscient eyes of Maddy’s
childhood friend Walter, Indiscretion is a juicy, page turning novel with
writing that is sophisticated and lyrical. Deeply textured, full of light and
darkness, and overwhelmingly sensual, this book will be the sexiest, most
intimate story you read all year.
Publisher: William Morrow
ISBN: 9780062201058
Copyright: (February 5) 2013
Pages: 400
Quick Review: 4 stars (out
of 5)
Where I Obtained the Book: Sent to me by the publisher for review.
Author Biography: Charles
Dubow was born in New York City and spent his summers at his family's house on
Georgica Pond in East Hampton. He was educated at Wesleyan University and New
York University. He has worked as a roustabout, a lumberjack, a sheepherder in
New Zealand, and a congressional aide, and was a founding editor of Forbes.com
and later an editor at Businessweek.com. He lives in New York City with his
wife, Melinda; children, William and Lally; and Labrador retriever, Luke. This
is his first novel.
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