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Deception
Miranda is a young tutor in an Art college in London. She is dedicated to her work and has a vibrant social life in Camden Town and an exciting new relationship with Mike, a Scottish mountain climber.Her easy relationship with her students is disturbed when she discovers that one of them is stalking her. Then her close friend and colleague, Anni, also begins to quietly insinuate herself into Miranda’s life; taking over her flat, establishing friendly relations with Miranda’s brother and his pregnant girlfriend, and becoming suspiciously close to Mike.As Miranda prepares for an exhibition of her paintings in a Camden gallery, tensions in her life increase and she is faced with issues that need to be resolved.While she becomes ever more involved with her painting and her study of the painter, Munch, she realises that her relationships with the people around her are beginning to unravel and events in both her private life and her career as a tutor take an unexpected turn. She loses faith in the people that she had trusted, and faced with unforeseen problems, she has to confront the challenges in her life and make some crucial decisions.
356 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 17, 2013
11 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
March 23, 2013
'Deception' is an intriguing novel of Love, Life, Family, Career, Relationships, Friendships, Passion, Trust and Betrayal.
A full and beautifully descriptive insight into Miranda's, our heroine's, world and her seemingly safe bubble in Camden is shaken to the core when things are not what they seem.
Miranda lives for her career, a passionate Art Teacher, her caring and thoughtful nature for her students, which is her infelicitous downfall.
The paranoia, betrayal and loss of trust, in a close friend, is a strong and emotive current, which raises the question, can you openly share your world and relationships with close friends?
From the authors wonderfully depictive London to the heroine's ill-fated trip to Lisbon (and further afield). Her relationship with Mike unfortunately unravels, when he is tempted by another offer, leaving her in despair and being temporarily abandoned in an unfamiliar clime. Her artistic nature saves her. She acts on impulse, after a serendipitous encounter with James.
The life changing events that lead up to the denouement makes her break out of her safe and familiar milieu and changes her nature to explore and enjoy her new surroundings, to act on possible new avenues to explore.
A thoroughly impressive debut novel and hopefully many more to follow from Mary Jay.
A full and beautifully descriptive insight into Miranda's, our heroine's, world and her seemingly safe bubble in Camden is shaken to the core when things are not what they seem.
Miranda lives for her career, a passionate Art Teacher, her caring and thoughtful nature for her students, which is her infelicitous downfall.
The paranoia, betrayal and loss of trust, in a close friend, is a strong and emotive current, which raises the question, can you openly share your world and relationships with close friends?
From the authors wonderfully depictive London to the heroine's ill-fated trip to Lisbon (and further afield). Her relationship with Mike unfortunately unravels, when he is tempted by another offer, leaving her in despair and being temporarily abandoned in an unfamiliar clime. Her artistic nature saves her. She acts on impulse, after a serendipitous encounter with James.
The life changing events that lead up to the denouement makes her break out of her safe and familiar milieu and changes her nature to explore and enjoy her new surroundings, to act on possible new avenues to explore.
A thoroughly impressive debut novel and hopefully many more to follow from Mary Jay.
March 25, 2013
Deception – Review
Like the mysterious doors and arches in her paintings, Miranda draws you into her exotic life, promising mystique and intrigue. The people surrounding her – friends, colleagues, family – seem much more three-dimensional than she is, more in control of their lives, and of hers. Miranda allows things to happen to her and is determined to find good in everybody. She seeks explanations for their unfolding strange behaviours in the darkness of Munch’s paintings and the Atlantic coolness of Lisbon’s decaying architecture. One is frustrated with her inability to see behaviours as others see them. Her naivety is almost unbearable, and you heave a sigh of relief when she takes a grip, even though she has to be cajoled into it by other people. Will she ever be able to take control of her life? We don’t know. We suspect not. A teasing cliff-hanger.
A brilliantly composed novel, reminiscent of Ian McEwan. Well done Mary Jay.
September 18, 2013
Mary Jay’s first novel, Deception, explores the lives and relationships of those who come into contact with her central character. Miranda’s own relationships are pivotal and the complex characters with whom she interacts are all substantial, individual and realistically realised. Readers of my reviews will know that character is the one aspect I must engage with in a novel and it certainly applies to this one.
Do not expect fast action, violence or sex. But, if you’re looking for a developing story laced with intrigue and a psychological menace that lurks in the background, always threatening to startle and surprise, you’ll find it here. The love story develops slowly and grows as Miranda explores her feelings and attempts to resolve her internal conflicts through engagement with her creative self. A painter and a college tutor, she lives a lot of her life on the edge, rather than as a central or pivotal figure. But success in her artistic endeavours is rising above the horizon and she believes her love life is mirroring that shift.
There are undercurrents, mostly subtle and shadowy, that bring gnawing threats to Miranda’s personal and professional lives. A student hovers in her background, his aims and motivation always hinted at rather than made explicit. As a lover, she chooses to be involved with a mountaineer, a man so far from her everyday experience in almost every way that the reader wonders whether she is actually afraid of evolving a relationship that might have a hope of permanence.
Just as she makes the decisions she might have made to her advantage earlier in life, circumstances take over and result in the sudden, unexpected and ultimately inevitable denouement. It is an ending that leaves the audience with questions to ask, allowing the maturity and experience of the reader to answer those maybes, might-have-beens and what-ifs for himself.
Published by Fantastic Books Publishing, this novel has slow and gentle start that draws the reader in and, as he comes to know the characters, drives the desire to complete the read. A thoughtful novel and one I recommend to the thoughtful reader.
Do not expect fast action, violence or sex. But, if you’re looking for a developing story laced with intrigue and a psychological menace that lurks in the background, always threatening to startle and surprise, you’ll find it here. The love story develops slowly and grows as Miranda explores her feelings and attempts to resolve her internal conflicts through engagement with her creative self. A painter and a college tutor, she lives a lot of her life on the edge, rather than as a central or pivotal figure. But success in her artistic endeavours is rising above the horizon and she believes her love life is mirroring that shift.
There are undercurrents, mostly subtle and shadowy, that bring gnawing threats to Miranda’s personal and professional lives. A student hovers in her background, his aims and motivation always hinted at rather than made explicit. As a lover, she chooses to be involved with a mountaineer, a man so far from her everyday experience in almost every way that the reader wonders whether she is actually afraid of evolving a relationship that might have a hope of permanence.
Just as she makes the decisions she might have made to her advantage earlier in life, circumstances take over and result in the sudden, unexpected and ultimately inevitable denouement. It is an ending that leaves the audience with questions to ask, allowing the maturity and experience of the reader to answer those maybes, might-have-beens and what-ifs for himself.
Published by Fantastic Books Publishing, this novel has slow and gentle start that draws the reader in and, as he comes to know the characters, drives the desire to complete the read. A thoughtful novel and one I recommend to the thoughtful reader.
April 17, 2014
I received this book to give an honest review.
So by reading this blurb I figured okay it sounds interesting. When I started the book I soon found myself losing interest fast. I pushed through the book thinking okay it will get better something will for sure catch my eye and will keep me wanting to read this book. It took me almost 4 days to finish a 176 pages only because I could not devour the book like I hoped.
The only thing that caught my eye was towards the end with Mike I totally didn't see that part coming and I was like oh wow!
Now there is a student who is stalking her but I felt it fell flat than what I was expecting. Yeah he shows up where Miranda is at but that is really all. When I think of a stalker I think of someone actually stalking besides just being in places you are at. I feel as though they are in your house laying in your bed, looking into your drawers and what not when you are not home.
And Anni I really had that feeling as though she was going to be taking over Miranda's life but still it fell flat than what I was expecting.
Now Miranda has a character there was a lot of developing there but I could tell she did not like conflict which in a way I could understand but sometimes you just gotta stand up. Not sit back and let things just go past you.
I did like the writing of how her paintings where portrayed. I could imagine in my head what they looked like. And that was just awesome.
Even though this book wasn't what I was expecting it may be the book just for you. Especially if you enjoy art, not a fast paced book or one that has any action in it. Give it a try and see what you think.
So by reading this blurb I figured okay it sounds interesting. When I started the book I soon found myself losing interest fast. I pushed through the book thinking okay it will get better something will for sure catch my eye and will keep me wanting to read this book. It took me almost 4 days to finish a 176 pages only because I could not devour the book like I hoped.
The only thing that caught my eye was towards the end with Mike I totally didn't see that part coming and I was like oh wow!
Now there is a student who is stalking her but I felt it fell flat than what I was expecting. Yeah he shows up where Miranda is at but that is really all. When I think of a stalker I think of someone actually stalking besides just being in places you are at. I feel as though they are in your house laying in your bed, looking into your drawers and what not when you are not home.
And Anni I really had that feeling as though she was going to be taking over Miranda's life but still it fell flat than what I was expecting.
Now Miranda has a character there was a lot of developing there but I could tell she did not like conflict which in a way I could understand but sometimes you just gotta stand up. Not sit back and let things just go past you.
I did like the writing of how her paintings where portrayed. I could imagine in my head what they looked like. And that was just awesome.
Even though this book wasn't what I was expecting it may be the book just for you. Especially if you enjoy art, not a fast paced book or one that has any action in it. Give it a try and see what you think.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews