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The Absolutes
A moving, suspenseful, beautifully atmospheric novel about a young woman's affair with an Italian aristocrat that leaves her spiraling in the face of love, danger, and obsession.
When Nora, an anxious and withdrawn American teenager, is sent to live with relatives in Turin, she meets Nicola, the enigmatic son of the most powerful aristocratic family in Italy. They forge a sudden, powerful connection in a chairlift several hundred feet above the Alps, where Nicola, brimming with old-world wealth and secrets, eases Nora back from the verge of a panic attack. In an instant, Nora forgets the feelings she's been harboring for her host sister since arriving in Italy, and a sharper, more reckless feeling takes hold: blind trust and insatiable desire for Nicola.
Years later in New York, when Nicola becomes enmeshed in a covert, high-stakes business venture at the company where Nora works, the two begin an affair. But Nora is unprepared for the consequences of their attraction, when unrelenting currents of obsession, control, and revenge intensify their passion and entangle her in a secret plot to overthrow Nicola's corrupt father. Soon, she must decide for herself what makes a person truly evil and what she's willing to excuse for a chance at total intimacy.
Utterly seductive, fiercely intelligent, and achingly beautiful, The Absolutes is a revealing portrait of a relationship that is as intoxicating as it is disquieting. Molly Dektar has crafted a hypnotic, provocative, and profound study of desire.
When Nora, an anxious and withdrawn American teenager, is sent to live with relatives in Turin, she meets Nicola, the enigmatic son of the most powerful aristocratic family in Italy. They forge a sudden, powerful connection in a chairlift several hundred feet above the Alps, where Nicola, brimming with old-world wealth and secrets, eases Nora back from the verge of a panic attack. In an instant, Nora forgets the feelings she's been harboring for her host sister since arriving in Italy, and a sharper, more reckless feeling takes hold: blind trust and insatiable desire for Nicola.
Years later in New York, when Nicola becomes enmeshed in a covert, high-stakes business venture at the company where Nora works, the two begin an affair. But Nora is unprepared for the consequences of their attraction, when unrelenting currents of obsession, control, and revenge intensify their passion and entangle her in a secret plot to overthrow Nicola's corrupt father. Soon, she must decide for herself what makes a person truly evil and what she's willing to excuse for a chance at total intimacy.
Utterly seductive, fiercely intelligent, and achingly beautiful, The Absolutes is a revealing portrait of a relationship that is as intoxicating as it is disquieting. Molly Dektar has crafted a hypnotic, provocative, and profound study of desire.
336 pages, Hardcover
First published July 11, 2023
About the author
Molly Dektar
4 books196 followersMolly Dektar is from North Carolina and lives in Brooklyn. The Ash Family (Simon and Schuster, 2019) is her first novel. Her second novel, The Absolutes, is forthcoming from Mariner in 2023.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 106 reviews
April 9, 2023
2 stars
Vapid and confusing, The Absolutes suffers from a case of identity crisis: is this meant to be a literary character study? A mafia romance? Or an erotic thriller? I'm all for mixing highbrow and lowbrow material, but the author seems to have no clue what kind of audience she is writing for.
The initial setting has my attention: Turin during the 2006 Winter Olympics. I enjoy its specificity, especially being a time frame/event I don't encounter often in fiction. It is too bad the novel quickly moves pass this and settles on something generic and common (yet another story taking place in Manhattan). Even though it is told in first person, the writing is hollow and meandering, overly emphasizing atmospheric prose rather than stating anything substantial. It's ironic when the story is about a woman's fatalistic obsession towards a mysterious Italian, yet this is one of the most emotionally empty telling I've read in a long while.
The marketing pitch calls it "A moving, suspenseful, beautifully atmospheric novel ", making me question if I have picked up the wrong book, as I experienced none of those adjectives. The Absolutes is like a self-proclaimed 'art film' that's obsessed with gimmick, but contains no substance. The writing tries to be avant-garde and censorial, but ends up with characters spitting out over-processed, stilted dialogs. It tries to be 'edgy' by toying with BDSM concept and the role of dom/sub, but Fifty Shades and indie dark romances dive deeper and hold more raw, emotional punches. Even the protagonist herself is a murky shadow, poorly realized and incomprehensible — piling on a bunch of human flaws (sexual confusion/frustration, loss of identity, eating disorder) does not a relatable character make.
Oftentimes, even when a novel has limited mainstream appeal, I can still see it being favored by certain niche readers; unfortunately I can't say the same for The Absolutes: too pretentious for literary fiction readers, too emotionally stunted for romance readers, and too timid for erotica readers. Ya... not sure about this one...
**This ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Much appreciated!**
Vapid and confusing, The Absolutes suffers from a case of identity crisis: is this meant to be a literary character study? A mafia romance? Or an erotic thriller? I'm all for mixing highbrow and lowbrow material, but the author seems to have no clue what kind of audience she is writing for.
The initial setting has my attention: Turin during the 2006 Winter Olympics. I enjoy its specificity, especially being a time frame/event I don't encounter often in fiction. It is too bad the novel quickly moves pass this and settles on something generic and common (yet another story taking place in Manhattan). Even though it is told in first person, the writing is hollow and meandering, overly emphasizing atmospheric prose rather than stating anything substantial. It's ironic when the story is about a woman's fatalistic obsession towards a mysterious Italian, yet this is one of the most emotionally empty telling I've read in a long while.
The marketing pitch calls it "A moving, suspenseful, beautifully atmospheric novel ", making me question if I have picked up the wrong book, as I experienced none of those adjectives. The Absolutes is like a self-proclaimed 'art film' that's obsessed with gimmick, but contains no substance. The writing tries to be avant-garde and censorial, but ends up with characters spitting out over-processed, stilted dialogs. It tries to be 'edgy' by toying with BDSM concept and the role of dom/sub, but Fifty Shades and indie dark romances dive deeper and hold more raw, emotional punches. Even the protagonist herself is a murky shadow, poorly realized and incomprehensible — piling on a bunch of human flaws (sexual confusion/frustration, loss of identity, eating disorder) does not a relatable character make.
Oftentimes, even when a novel has limited mainstream appeal, I can still see it being favored by certain niche readers; unfortunately I can't say the same for The Absolutes: too pretentious for literary fiction readers, too emotionally stunted for romance readers, and too timid for erotica readers. Ya... not sure about this one...
**This ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Much appreciated!**
to-read-maybe
January 24, 2023part of me does wish that american authors were able to write about italians without portraying them as criminal and/or corrupt (in a way that sometimes romanticizes the mafia and other criminal activities/groups)...
June 20, 2023
The Absolutes is incredibly written and observed in its portrayal of the intricacies of obsession and power. It could be compared to Normal People or What Belongs to You, but it is also unique. I loved this brave book and wish I could write with Dektar's clarity and feeling.
July 24, 2023
This veered too much into the romance genre for my taste - which is not a criticism of the book.
It is the story of a young American woman who becomes infatuated with an Italian aristocrat, whom she meets in Turin as a troubled teenager and then runs into again many years later in New York. She finds him mysterious and irresistible, but I rather found him arrogant and lacking in social skills and I wasn't willing to go along with the obsession.
I had exactly the same difficulty when reading Annie Ernaux's Simple Passion, finding it hard to believe that an intelligent and independent woman - albeit admittedly with a propensity to the dangerous - could be so powerless and make such irrational choices...
I loved the setting in Turin by the way, very well done and a very special city indeed.
It is the story of a young American woman who becomes infatuated with an Italian aristocrat, whom she meets in Turin as a troubled teenager and then runs into again many years later in New York. She finds him mysterious and irresistible, but I rather found him arrogant and lacking in social skills and I wasn't willing to go along with the obsession.
I had exactly the same difficulty when reading Annie Ernaux's Simple Passion, finding it hard to believe that an intelligent and independent woman - albeit admittedly with a propensity to the dangerous - could be so powerless and make such irrational choices...
I loved the setting in Turin by the way, very well done and a very special city indeed.
January 28, 2023
“the absolutes” is the story of obsession and abuse, both emotional and physical. the novel begins with nora, a troubled teen, sent by her parents to italy. the first time she sees nicola, the obsession begins. years later, in new york city, they meet again, this time as business partners. however, nicola is married.
nora is a lost soul with a good heart, but a propensity for deep obsession. as we watch her make mistakes and do the wrong thing, we can’t help but feel bad for her. dektar writes her characters in a way that allows us to accept the horrible things they have done while also feel empathic. while the first three quarters of the novel were excellent and gripping, the last was a bit hastily wrapped up. this is a lovely literary fiction novel that leaves a sour taste in your mouth in the best way. however, i do feel it romanticizes abuse if it is marketed as romance.
nora is a lost soul with a good heart, but a propensity for deep obsession. as we watch her make mistakes and do the wrong thing, we can’t help but feel bad for her. dektar writes her characters in a way that allows us to accept the horrible things they have done while also feel empathic. while the first three quarters of the novel were excellent and gripping, the last was a bit hastily wrapped up. this is a lovely literary fiction novel that leaves a sour taste in your mouth in the best way. however, i do feel it romanticizes abuse if it is marketed as romance.
September 12, 2024
Due to reviews and my boredom, DNFing at 27%
July 10, 2023
Nora, an aspiring artist with wavering mental health, becomes obsessed with Nicola, an Italian businessman with a corrupt and complicated family history, to the point where she absolves her self and let’s him consume her identity whole. the content warnings are heavy with this one!
3.25 stars!
3.25 stars!
Read
July 17, 2023dnf at 150 pages, I could probably finish and give this like 3 stars but I’d rather read something else
June 17, 2025
at what point do we as society realize we no longer need any more books about obsessive women and their affairs with lackluster men and their power trips?
February 22, 2023
Maybe you just have to be a woman who's been obsessed with a man to the point of total debasement to fully appreciate Molly Dektar's “The Absolutes,” though I would think even such a woman would find her patience tested by Dektar’s Nora, who continues to be obsessed with a man who would have her believe, like Michael Corleone claimed to Kay, that he’s different from his gangster-like father but increasingly shows himself to be cut from the same cloth. Not exactly showing different stripes, for instance, when he pushes Nora into watching him have sex with another woman and even physically abuses her. Enough, you'd think, to have her hightailing it out the door, yet she persists so unwaveringly in her obsession as to put me in mind of another such novel I read some years ago in which a woman is similarly taken with a man so vile that he urinates on her and ends up killing her. And there was Muriel Davidson’s novel of a few years back, "The Thursday Woman," in which a woman becomes obsessed enough by a man on trial for murder that she gets herself involved with him to no good end. So perhaps more understandable to some women than I might think, such extremity of attraction, though as a male who’s always tried to do right by women I couldn’t help finding Nora’s obsession increasingly exasperating and, frankly, something of a chore to read. Still, the novel is extremely well-written (it’s what kept me turning pages) and on that count anyway I can recommend it to anyone whose tastes run to literary fiction. Just be forewarned that it is very much a literary novel and not, as you might be led to think from some of the blurbs about it, also something of a woman-in-peril story in the way of still another novel I read a few years back in which a new bride is puzzled enough by her new husband's aversion to his family – he won't even introduce them to her -- that she seeks them out on her own and provokes an admittedly unrealistic but nevertheless dramatically satisfying climax. No such dramatically satisfying resolution, however, to Dektar’s depiction of unrelenting obsession.
July 29, 2023
abasement city!! annie ernaux//jane eyre//almost kafka vibes??? very curious to know how this one originated
June 21, 2025
5 stars
Ima keep it a buck with you Goodreads, I must not have read the same book y’all did (but the opposite version it normally is) because I LOVED LOVED LOVEDDDDD this book. Imagine my shock when I see it has LESS THAN THREE STARS?? as its average rating!
Immediately when I began this, I was captivated by Molly Dektar’s writing. I’m a pretty fast reader, but I found myself slowly reading and re-reading through paragraphs just to take in every single word, almost like licking the plate after a delicious meal. That being said, it was so good I still had to devour it in one sitting! Dektar’s writing was beautiful and descriptive in a way that oddly scratched my brain the same way My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell did.
Nora’s obsession with Nicola and their power imbalance was so well-written throughout the entirety of this novel and, at least to me, was extremely clear in that it was not meant to be romanticized like some reviews of this book accuse, but instead meant to serve as a haunting warning of the dangers of abusive, manipulative relationships.
While I am not in the majority opinion on this one, I would absolutely recommend this to anyone who wants to stomach a disturbing story of two extremely broken people and their relation to one another.
Ima keep it a buck with you Goodreads, I must not have read the same book y’all did (but the opposite version it normally is) because I LOVED LOVED LOVEDDDDD this book. Imagine my shock when I see it has LESS THAN THREE STARS?? as its average rating!
Immediately when I began this, I was captivated by Molly Dektar’s writing. I’m a pretty fast reader, but I found myself slowly reading and re-reading through paragraphs just to take in every single word, almost like licking the plate after a delicious meal. That being said, it was so good I still had to devour it in one sitting! Dektar’s writing was beautiful and descriptive in a way that oddly scratched my brain the same way My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell did.
Nora’s obsession with Nicola and their power imbalance was so well-written throughout the entirety of this novel and, at least to me, was extremely clear in that it was not meant to be romanticized like some reviews of this book accuse, but instead meant to serve as a haunting warning of the dangers of abusive, manipulative relationships.
While I am not in the majority opinion on this one, I would absolutely recommend this to anyone who wants to stomach a disturbing story of two extremely broken people and their relation to one another.
April 13, 2023
*Thanks to the publisher, Mariner Books, and #netgalley for the opportunity to read this ARC of The Absolutes. Greatly appreciated."
First off, I have to say that this book is not for the light or easily distracted reader--not only because of the overwhelming themes of abuse, deception, manipulation, and self-loathing, but also because of the excessive philosophical musings and observations, which I found myself having to reread several times to make sense.
Secondly, there is no likeable character in this book. Nora, the protagonist, is an attention-seeking, self-loathing, and weak character, despite her lover's attempts to further weaken and control her by convincing her that she is a strong, self-assured woman to be reckoned with. At a point, I really wanted to cheer for her apparent "coming to" from the state of deep-rooted obsession and oblivion where she exists for most of the novel. However, this period of self-realization is short-lived. The fact that she places herself back under the control of this manipulative, abusive lover within the final pages just really pisses me off. I desperately wanted Nora to reach a level of self-actualization and come away stronger and more experienced for it. She let me down.
Nicola, the lover, while a complex character in some ways, is also ultimately a victim under someone's control--his father's. Like Nora, he can't (or perhaps isn't willing to) break his chains of captivity and, therefore, takes great pleasure in exercising his control over Nora, often in debasing, humiliating, and physically abusive ways.
There is beautiful language and detail in this story, especially in the descriptions of Italy and Nora's observance of nature in general. However, this back-and-forth, push-and-pull relationship between these two obviously mentally ill characters could have been achieved in less than 40 chapters. After awhile, the story simply becomes exhausting and infuriating.
First off, I have to say that this book is not for the light or easily distracted reader--not only because of the overwhelming themes of abuse, deception, manipulation, and self-loathing, but also because of the excessive philosophical musings and observations, which I found myself having to reread several times to make sense.
Secondly, there is no likeable character in this book. Nora, the protagonist, is an attention-seeking, self-loathing, and weak character, despite her lover's attempts to further weaken and control her by convincing her that she is a strong, self-assured woman to be reckoned with. At a point, I really wanted to cheer for her apparent "coming to" from the state of deep-rooted obsession and oblivion where she exists for most of the novel. However, this period of self-realization is short-lived. The fact that she places herself back under the control of this manipulative, abusive lover within the final pages just really pisses me off. I desperately wanted Nora to reach a level of self-actualization and come away stronger and more experienced for it. She let me down.
Nicola, the lover, while a complex character in some ways, is also ultimately a victim under someone's control--his father's. Like Nora, he can't (or perhaps isn't willing to) break his chains of captivity and, therefore, takes great pleasure in exercising his control over Nora, often in debasing, humiliating, and physically abusive ways.
There is beautiful language and detail in this story, especially in the descriptions of Italy and Nora's observance of nature in general. However, this back-and-forth, push-and-pull relationship between these two obviously mentally ill characters could have been achieved in less than 40 chapters. After awhile, the story simply becomes exhausting and infuriating.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 10, 2024
Trying to intellectualize what is effectively a sadomasochistic mafia romance is a task.
Don't get me wrong, it can be done. It may even be possible to do well.
Dektar did not succeed in doing it well...
It's always a good idea to explore and destigmatize sadomasochistic desire and female power dynamic fantasies, and I'm of the controversial opinion that you don't even have to resolve these with a moral or a healthy twist at the end. So, I don't have beef with this book because the dynamic is unhealthy. I have beef with the book because intellectualizing an unhealthy dynamic doesn't make it unique. It's the same smutty fantasy stuff you could find in a mass market paperback romance -- this one was just written by someone with an MFA.
That being said, there was a moment entirely unrelated to the plot that tickled my English major brain: "What paint is to painting, noticing is to realism. The speed of fiction is the speed of noticing as it is remembered. We always wondered: to what extent does the author's intention matter? Maybe to the same degree that you can intend to notice."
Also, side note: Nora panicking because she has difficulty finishing with partners and then inexplicably, "suddenly" doing so with a man the first time she hooks up with him is absolutely BONKERS.
Don't get me wrong, it can be done. It may even be possible to do well.
Dektar did not succeed in doing it well...
It's always a good idea to explore and destigmatize sadomasochistic desire and female power dynamic fantasies, and I'm of the controversial opinion that you don't even have to resolve these with a moral or a healthy twist at the end. So, I don't have beef with this book because the dynamic is unhealthy. I have beef with the book because intellectualizing an unhealthy dynamic doesn't make it unique. It's the same smutty fantasy stuff you could find in a mass market paperback romance -- this one was just written by someone with an MFA.
That being said, there was a moment entirely unrelated to the plot that tickled my English major brain: "What paint is to painting, noticing is to realism. The speed of fiction is the speed of noticing as it is remembered. We always wondered: to what extent does the author's intention matter? Maybe to the same degree that you can intend to notice."
Also, side note: Nora panicking because she has difficulty finishing with partners and then inexplicably, "suddenly" doing so with a man the first time she hooks up with him is absolutely BONKERS.
July 22, 2023
I wrote a line in my journal the other day about troubled men: "they're only sexy when you're writing a book dissecting them to be a NYT best-selling author." This book totally misses the mark on making troubled men sexy. And many other things. This book was astoundingly boring and incredibly confusing. It runs around itself in circles trying to make Nicola seem sexy and interesting and maniacal, so we can justify the main character's prolonged limerence with him while she sabotages her relationships and cries and whines. Other people call her out on it! She continues to exist in her Nicola-trance. This could have been a wonderful case study of limerence too, if it wasn't so pretentious and self-important and trying so hard to be cool. Instead it was a bunch of unbearable people talking about sex in incredibly vague terms, looking at art (and saying NOTHING about it. not only did they not say anything important, they just didn't say anything at all), and never actually making any conclusions that pretentious, well-loved books are famous for (anything by Donna Tartt, for example). It's a subpar book with passable writing, but not troubled or not troubled enough to say anything news-worthy.
Thank you to the author and NetGalley for an ARC!
Thank you to the author and NetGalley for an ARC!
January 10, 2024
Like other reviews have stated, this is neither an effective romance novel nor a successful piece of literary fiction. It was bold of the author to think she could make what is essentially a dark mafia romance seem…I don’t know…philosophical? The basic premise of the book is that 29-year-old Nora has an affair with a corrupt Italian nepo baby. She becomes obsessed, compromises all of her morals, and allows herself to be totally manipulated. I did not enjoy being in this narrator’s head; she was such a weak character. I also felt that the writing style did not match the content of the book. It seemed like the author was trying too hard to sound deep and introspective, but it only made the story boring and the characters unrealistic. I found it very tiresome to follow the “love interests” attempt to communicate through vague, immaterial statements. Also, there were too many pretenious art references and too many Italian words with no translation. Happy to be done with this one—would not recommend.
July 24, 2023
Nora, the self-harming would-be writer protagonist, is a familiar type: unsatisfied with her staid, responsible, caring boyfriend; enthralled by a man who controls her. In less capable hands she'd be a cliché, or maybe fodder for an incel tract about how nice guys finish last.
But Dektar is incredibly skilled at building interiors, and so as much as one worries for Nora and despairs over her choices, one also deeply understands the role Nicola fills in her life. At one point, Nora notes that she refused to attend parties in college unless invited three times. It's not a coincidence that Nicola only becomes a fixture in her life on their third meeting. She has fantasized about finding people who will push through and insist on being close to her, and Nicola serves that role and then some.
It's an incredibly thoughtful work on control and submission, wealth and taste, power and desire.
But Dektar is incredibly skilled at building interiors, and so as much as one worries for Nora and despairs over her choices, one also deeply understands the role Nicola fills in her life. At one point, Nora notes that she refused to attend parties in college unless invited three times. It's not a coincidence that Nicola only becomes a fixture in her life on their third meeting. She has fantasized about finding people who will push through and insist on being close to her, and Nicola serves that role and then some.
It's an incredibly thoughtful work on control and submission, wealth and taste, power and desire.
June 27, 2023
This is not a novel about lust, obsession, affairs, or love. This is a book about an extremely mentally unwell woman who becomes the victim of mental, emotional, and physical abuse at the hands of a violent man. At first I thought the character arc would bend towards help and treatment and hopefully becoming well -but instead it's exploitative case of female misogyny. Besides the plot feeling like it's leading up to snuff film, the dialog is grossly unrealistic and practically unreadable. The prose feels like a madlib of ungermane adjectives. It was a struggle to finish, but I believe in fulling reading the ARCs sent to me before rating. I literally threw my copy in the dumpster in effort to keep anyone else from being subject to this book.
November 28, 2023
Wow. I really did not like this book.
Would. Not. Recommend. At. All.
I’d give it a 0 if Good Reads would let me.
This book started slow but an intriguing plot line of a girl who gets sent to Italy to help curb her destructive behaviour had me interested to see how the story would unfold. After the first few chapters it just started to flop more and more into a shitty story with no plot. All the characters were underdeveloped and people I would never want in my life. The rest of the plot became about an abusive relationship that was glorified til the very last page. When I got to the end of the book, I literally said “wtf” out loud and could not believe how poorly written this was. Only finished it because it was a quick read- but spare yourself please.
Would. Not. Recommend. At. All.
I’d give it a 0 if Good Reads would let me.
This book started slow but an intriguing plot line of a girl who gets sent to Italy to help curb her destructive behaviour had me interested to see how the story would unfold. After the first few chapters it just started to flop more and more into a shitty story with no plot. All the characters were underdeveloped and people I would never want in my life. The rest of the plot became about an abusive relationship that was glorified til the very last page. When I got to the end of the book, I literally said “wtf” out loud and could not believe how poorly written this was. Only finished it because it was a quick read- but spare yourself please.
February 21, 2023
This was just the type of book I needed to escape the winter blues. I loved the NYC and Italy settings. The character of Nora was interesting to read about - heartbreaking at times but also intriguing. Dektar writes in a descriptive way and I was all for it. I'm giving it five stars. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC for the purpose of this review.
February 22, 2023
I didn’t care for this book at all.
June 10, 2024
Art-house-style novel. Beautiful and ugly, both substantial and sparse. Very dark.
July 22, 2024
This is genuinely the worst book I’ve ever read. There was no flow to it and the dialogue was strained.
September 25, 2023
one of those slow, quiet, hateable, beautifully written words of literary fiction that just makes the world go 'round for me.
molly dektar i love you i am also from north carolina living in brooklyn do you want to hang out
molly dektar i love you i am also from north carolina living in brooklyn do you want to hang out
August 21, 2023
Overall: ☆☆☆(2.6)
Writing style: ☆☆☆
Entertainment ☆☆☆
Characters ☆☆
Plot: ☆☆
Ending:☆☆☆
Writing style: ☆☆☆
Entertainment ☆☆☆
Characters ☆☆
Plot: ☆☆
Ending:☆☆☆
May 6, 2026
DNF, what even was that
June 6, 2023
Thanks very much to NetGalley and Mariner Books for the eARC of this gorgeously written novel.
In many ways this book reminded me of Annie Ernaux's Simple Passion: a portrait of an intelligent, independent woman who winds up doing nothing but waiting for a man (to paraphrase Ernaux) and upending her whole life in the process. American Nora first meets Nicola--wealthy, handsome, mysterious, possibly dangerous--as a troubled exchange student in her teens in Turin, Italy during a time that overlapped with the Winter Olympics there. She encounters him again in college and later connects with him a third time through her job in her twenties, ultimately falling into an affair. Like much literary fiction, this is a book that simply must be experienced, as a plot summary can only do so much. I enjoyed the cast of vividly drawn, complex characters and the stunning prose. I suspect I will be re-reading this novel before long.
ETA: It’s worth reading just for the head-exploding final couple of lines alone. I do love a snappy ending.
In many ways this book reminded me of Annie Ernaux's Simple Passion: a portrait of an intelligent, independent woman who winds up doing nothing but waiting for a man (to paraphrase Ernaux) and upending her whole life in the process. American Nora first meets Nicola--wealthy, handsome, mysterious, possibly dangerous--as a troubled exchange student in her teens in Turin, Italy during a time that overlapped with the Winter Olympics there. She encounters him again in college and later connects with him a third time through her job in her twenties, ultimately falling into an affair. Like much literary fiction, this is a book that simply must be experienced, as a plot summary can only do so much. I enjoyed the cast of vividly drawn, complex characters and the stunning prose. I suspect I will be re-reading this novel before long.
ETA: It’s worth reading just for the head-exploding final couple of lines alone. I do love a snappy ending.
Did Not Finish
July 30, 2023DNF @63%
I tried to finish this, I wanted to finish this, but I just have absolutely no idea what’s going on.
At times the writing is lyrical and mysterious and then we just jump back into her life in NY like it’s totally normal.
The beginning part in Italy was actually really intriguing and atmospheric but this whole partially sexual BDSM story line with Nicola, a man who makes no sense whenever she speaks with him, I just can’t deal with it anymore.
I wanted to love this because I do typically love books like this, but girl this one is just way above my head
I tried to finish this, I wanted to finish this, but I just have absolutely no idea what’s going on.
At times the writing is lyrical and mysterious and then we just jump back into her life in NY like it’s totally normal.
The beginning part in Italy was actually really intriguing and atmospheric but this whole partially sexual BDSM story line with Nicola, a man who makes no sense whenever she speaks with him, I just can’t deal with it anymore.
I wanted to love this because I do typically love books like this, but girl this one is just way above my head
August 28, 2023
A weirdly dense book, it took me forever to get through this despite the fact it doesn't really say anything at all. A weak imitation of Annie Ernaux's work, it's a strange combination of over- and underwritten, resulting in zero tension, with some of the most pretentiously odd and unintentionally funniest dialogue I've read in a long time. I did really like the brief section in Turin; the writing about her time there felt terrifically realized as compared to the muddled slog that was the rest of the novel.
March 27, 2023
I would like to first thank HarperCollins and NetGalley for proving me with the eARC in an exchange for an honest review.
I had such high hopes for this book. I find it hard to understand what was the point of it. In my opinion, this book is not a study of desire but about the study of someone in need of mental help. The story is simply infuriating; it promises so much but delivers very little.
I had such high hopes for this book. I find it hard to understand what was the point of it. In my opinion, this book is not a study of desire but about the study of someone in need of mental help. The story is simply infuriating; it promises so much but delivers very little.
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