Discretion

by Elizabeth Nunez

From American Book Award-winning author Elizabeth Nunez, a powerful novel that explores an intricate lovers’ triangle, the human thirst for passion, and the myriad ways desire can betray those who have fallen under its spell.

Descended from warriors and raised by missionaries, Oufoula is a diplomat whose wealth and charm make him both publicly admired and envied. From a tragic childhood he emerged a man who leads a disciplined life of respect, married to Nerida, a woman he did not want to deceive. But the beautiful Marguerite, a Jamaican-born artist living in New York, makes him question what ideals he can live by, and which values he can betray.

For twenty years, Oufoula has carried a secret in his heart, a secret of his love for Marguerite. Though they have been separated for two decades by Marguerite’s call for propriety, Oufoula refuses to let his desire wane. When the lovers are at last reunited, the rekindling of their passion forces Oufoula to come to terms with the core of his character: Is he willing to sacrifice his marriage, his career, and the very foundations of the life he has struggled to create, all for the love of one woman?

Oufoula’s confession is adorned with the literature of his European education, and shrouded by the spirits and responsibilities of Africa. Caught between myth and reason, Oufoula reveals himself to be a soul trapped in every way, who, like Faust, would bargain with the devil for fulfillment . . . but was never offered any choice.

This is the portrait of a man who cannot be forgotten. A gripping, masterfully crafted tale of love, deceit, and the human compulsion for power, Discretion forces us to reconsider that ever-compelling question: At what price passion?

288 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2002

About the author

Elizabeth Nunez was a Trinidadian-American novelist academic who was a Distinguished Professor of English at Hunter College, New York City.
Her novels have won a number of awards: Prospero's Daughter received The New York Times Editors' Choice and 2006 Novel of the Year from Black Issues Book Review, Bruised Hibiscus won the 2001 American Book Award, and Beyond the Limbo Silence won the 1999 Independent Publishers Book Award. In addition, Nunez was shortlisted for the Hurston/Wright Legacy Award for Discretion; Boundaries was selected as a New York Times Editors' Choice and nominated for a 2012 NAACP Image Award; and Anna In-Between was selected for the 2010 PEN Oakland Josephine Miles Award for literary excellence as well as a New York Times Editors' Choice, and received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly, Booklist, and Library Journal. Nunez is a contributor to the 2019 anthology New Daughters of Africa edited by Margaret Busby.

Reviews

[Andre(Read-A-Lot) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am not a fan of romance, not saying this book is in that genre, but minus the typical romance formula it hews very close to the romance field. It is a story of love and the beautiful prose and richly drawn characters makes this work for me. Ms. Nunez tells a beautiful tale of love tempered by the necessity of discretion. The language she uses is very realistic and I have known/know men that have sounded like the main character of this novel, Oufoula.

She has done a fantabalous job of going inside the mind and heart of a man and pulling together a narrative that feels so real. Oufoula is a young man from an unnamed African country who has been sent to the missionaries to be educated and eventually becomes an ambassador. He works for the President and has married the President’s daughter Nerida. And though he loves Nerida and is happy in his marriage, he manages to step out of the marriage and he falls hard for Marguerite. Marguerite is a young Jamaican artist and their meeting comes about because of her name. His conflict is deftly handled by the skilled Ms. Nunez and the anxiety he suffers is palpable.

He doesn’t want to replace his wife Nerida, he really wants to have both her and Marguerite. His adherence to Christianity complicates this yearning, although in his tradition polygamy is the way of his people. It was through a conversation with Marguerite about the traditions of the ancestors that he ends up exposing the fact, that he is married. Prior to that conversation, Marguerite did not definitively know, but she suspected there was someone else, but she chose to take comfort in the lie, just as Oufoula took comfort in the deceit. When they are finally forced to deal with the reality of the situation it has unkind consequences for Oufoula and to a lesser extent Marguerite. They go years without seeing each other, but when his work brings him to New York for six weeks to lead a team advocating for the freedom of Nelson Mandela, he and Marguerite reconnect and things between them go back to how they were before their unfortunate parting.

This time around Oufoula want to make it right, he wants to find a way to have both, can he succeed? “I am not afraid to let myself know that though humans may live without love, they cannot live without passion. That without passion, we only exist. We merely pass through life as would an animal.” Can discretion keep Nerida unknowing? Can Marguerite even consider being a second wife? Will she continue to see Oufoula? All these questions are maturely examined in the narrative without sleaziness or drama, but with a literary nonchalance that is contemplative. Readers will be impressed and men will be appreciative of the portrayal of Oufoula. Bravo, Elizabeth Nunez. Thanks to Edelweiss and Akashic Books. This book is available now being published as a reissue.

[Dana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Today I finished one of those books I will never forget. It won't be a book for everyone. It's not a fun, quick read, not a beach book. It is quite literary, lush and dense and so thought provoking. There are references to mythology, mysticism, Nelson Mandela, race relations, life in Africa, love, loss, death and longing. The book is called, "Discretion" and is written by Elizabeth Nunoz, a writer of great skill and education. She is a teacher at CUNY and has received many awards. She is originally from Trinidad, but was educated in the US. This is the story of an African man, displaced from his country as a boy, when his father let the missionaries take him away. He becomes a dignitary, and an Ambassador, and is given a woman to marry by the President of his African nation. He loves the woman, and they move to DC. and begin to raise a family. He hears the name Marguerite one day, from the wife of a fellow dignitary, and realizes he must meet the woman who holds that name. He travels to NYC and meets Marguerite through the friend who introduced the name in conversation at the party, earlier in DC. There is instant love between the two, a love so intense it, literally, lasts a lifetime. They yearn for one another over many decades, even though separated by oceans and continents. He feels he is married to both women, and isn't that the way of his forefathers? These are all well educated, respected characters, all lost in a web of love and deceit. They are good people, well meaning, and this man loves his wife, but loves his Marguerite as well. Does his wife know about Marguerite? Is it enough to know her husband will never leave her? Does she wonder what he does on all those trips to NYC, and why he comes home so troubled and suffering from nightmares which cause him to wake screaming, heart pounding? Could love be what is causing this? It's a fascinating book about morals, love, devotion, truth, lies, retribution and humanity. There is so much grief to bear, and yet so much joy to embrace. It is one of those rare literary novels that was experienced, not read! The times in which it was set were fascinating times in history, from the 50's until the time when Mandela was set free. Events play out which many of us remember, if only as pieces heard on the nightly news. I will always wonder how life played out for these characters after the book ended. They still had many years ahead of them, since they are in their 50's when the last page comes to an end. I became so involved in their stories, that I may actually write to the author to ask her how SHE envisioned their futures.

[Helen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Based on reviews I had hopes of this book and this author (my first of hers and sadly my last). I am baffled by the praise. A tragic love story played out in post colonial Africa promised much but the writing disappointed me. Too much explaining, too much ponderous repetition, too many words! And honestly, just another love story, which was thrillingly passionate and sad, but didn’t live up to the hype. Disappointed.

[Theresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Soulmate Love...

This is a story about soulmate love as told by the protagonist. They loved with such intense, it was palpable. The kind of love that last a lifetime. Beautiful, complicated, emotional love...

[Janell Rush · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chileeeee I bout died when at the end he realized his wife most likely knew what he was doing all along and did not care because she made the life she wanted for herself despite it all. Absolutely loved this book.

[LaToya James · Rating 5 out of 5]

I could not put this book down.

[Faith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very well written. I love the words chosen and how they so passionately captured the diplomat's thoughts and feelings even when the character did not speak. I will be on the look out for more of her work!

[Prizgar Gonzales · Rating 5 out of 5]

An intriguing story of forbidden love between a Caribbean woman and an African man. As a story teller Elizabeth Nunez is an a class by herself. No one does it better.