Two parents. Happily married. Just not to each other.
When Cora meets Sam at a baby group in their small town, the chemistry between them is instant and undeniable. But both are happily married, and neither is the type to cheat. So as their lives intertwine and the romantic tension between them heightens, Cora turns to her imagination: in her head, she and Sam pursue their feelings; in reality, they resist.
Yet as the fantasy affair grows ever more intoxicating, it can't help but cast Cora's everyday life - the mushroom problem in the bathroom, her daughter's new fascination with the afterlife, her husband's obsession with podcasts about the history of rope - in a new light. And when the boundaries grow increasingly blurred, she must decide what truly matters.
Razor-sharp, exhilaratingly honest and salted with an irresistible acerbic wit, The Ten Year Affair explores family life, fidelity and the roads not taken, and ultimately asks: do we really want our fantasies to come true?
What did I think?
The Ten Year Affair isn't perhaps the type of book I would usually pick up but I rather enjoyed it. It's brutally honest and surprisingly witty so I found myself laughing out loud on a number of occasions but it has a serious subject at its heart: infidelity.
Although I didn't particularly like any of the characters I think I could understand them. Cora escapes her mundane life as a wife and mother to a fantasy world where she's having an affair with Sam, a father she met at baby group. It really made me think about what cheating is. Are thoughts as bad as actions?
As the story progresses the affair doesn't just continue in Cora's head, it happens in real life but Cora finds that reality isn't a patch on fantasy. You have to apportion some of the blame to Cora's husband Eliot, who pays very little attention to Cora, and Sam's wife Jules, who is having an affair of her own. Both couples seem to conveniently forget that they have children though.
I did struggle at times with the 'in the fantasy world' and 'in reality' storyline as I couldn't remember what was happening in each one and it seemed to flick back and forth frequently. I enjoyed the chapters set during the Covid-19 pandemic as it really highlighted the challenges people faced while forced to spend time with each other. It is funny reading about people getting used to working from home and I'm sure a lot of people have many funny Zoom stories.
Witty, honest and thought-provoking, The Ten Year Affair is an interesting and entertaining read that is well worth picking up, even if it's just to feel smug about your own relationship.
I received a gifted hardback for the Adventures With Words readalong and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.
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