A beautifully observed novel by literary star Charlotte Mendelson about the joys of passionate love and those left in its wake when passion curdles, told with Charlotte's signature wit and wisdom.

'Crackles with female fire and fury' – The Guardian
'A bravura portrait of a marriage in meltdown' – The Observer
'Fast and furious' – The Sunday Times

Discover the bitingly witty new novel from the prize-winning author of The Exhibitionist, Charlotte Mendelson.

Dr Penny Cartwright is everything that Zoe Stamper is not: glamorous, sophisticated and openly gay. When they begin a passionate affair, a lifetime of wedded bliss seems within Zoe’s grasp. But this is not a love story. It’s the story of how love can bring about disaster . . .

'A terrific panic attack of a novel' – i newspaper
'Lacerating' – Financial Times
'Unbearably brilliant' – Nigella Lawson
'A gift to the reader . . . Irresistible' – Amy Bloom, bestselling author of In Love
'Compelling' – Glamour
'Truly radical' – The Spectator

"A brilliant and blackly comic study of narcissistic dysfunction . . . Gimlet-eyed, sharp-tongued, blisteringly precise, it crackles with female fire and fury" - The Guardian

"A family saga of great insight, with another magnificently grotesque villain at its heart" - The Observer

"'This is a love story,' Zoe tells the reader, and it is, profoundly so, in the end. But I'll remember it more as a thriller, for the way Mendelson manages to make what looks from the outside like a sad but unremarkable day – packing, Tube journeys – feel like sweaty offcuts from The Bourne Identity . . . God, you want Zoe to get away. Does she? Better read the book." - The Sunday Times

"A clever, lacerating account of coercive control . . . a finely executed novel" - Financial Times

"A deeply engaging exploration of a troubling and passionate affair, motherhood and personal transformation . . . Mendelson's vibrant characters and richly detailed narrative provide a captivating look at the complexities of love and self-discovery. Compelling." - Glamour

"Mendelson is an extraordinary writer . . . Her characters are whole and complex, her tone crisp and familiar, her prose uncluttered and full of delightfully bitchy moments" - Evening Standard

"Mendelson revels in the messiness of familial relationships, especially the ugly dramas that take place behind closed doors" - TLS

"A terrific panic attack of a novel, a domestic horror story . . . Mendelson's particular triumph is that this story is – perversely, incredibly – enjoyable, the kind of book to be wolfed down in a single excruciating sitting" - i

"The heart of this novel is how Mendelson portrays, with some comedy alongside the horror, the disintegration of a marriage. The claustrophobic bullying is so well done that I found it nauseating . . . Truly radical" - The Spectator