Infidelity

In Fowles's (Be Good) third novel, hairstylist Ronnie, once carefree and irresponsible, has been reshaped by her passive aggressive boyfriend Aaron to suit the comfortable, safe, limited life he plans for the pair of them, a condition she finds increasingly oppressive. When Ronnie meets the older Charlie, a writer whose professional success has done little to mitigate his insecurities, the attraction is mutual; neither one can resist the temptation to push back against the constraints of domesticity. What follows is an affair as heated as it is predictably doomed, a series of covert assignations leading inevitably towards revelation and transformation, recriminations and for some, escape. No matter how eagerly Charlie kids himself, Ronnie is no manic pixie dream girl, and as desirable as liberation from the loathsome Aaron is for Ronnie, the course she and Charlie choose is self-indulgent, irresponsible, and cruel with little concern shown for the consequences to the innocents affected by the affair. The novel starts with the most tired of literary cliches %E2%80%93 the older academic smitten with the carefree, young woman%E2%80%94but transcends it with its sympathetic but clear examination of the characters. Agent: Samantha Haywood, Transatlantic Agency. (Oct.)