What do readers think of The Affairs of Others by Amy Grace Loyd? Write your own review.

This is a tough one! I echo the comments of many previous reviewers: the writing was the best part of this first novel. For that alone, I might have rated it 4 or 5 stars; however, the intriguing premise (youngish woman struggling with the isolation of early widowhood) was betrayed by the plot itself, which felt strained--a conscious effort to convey an edginess that bordered on the gratuitous--and the ending felt rushed and contrived. Disappointing.

On page 2 the narrator, Celia, tells us that when her husband died a lot of her went with him. It is a tribute to the author's skill that this sense of "deadness" permeated the story. A beautifully written story that I did not much care to read.

"The Affairs of Others" by Amy Grace Loyd is a beautifully written book. The story quickly moves along and the suspense builds as we meet each new character. However as the tension mounts, I was somewhat disappointed by the sexual resolution to the main character's conflicts. Even as the "villain" returns, she contemplates having sex with him. Even though the language and imagery is very enjoyable I can only give the book an average rating.

While I can agree that this book is beautifully written in places, I did not connect with any of the main characters or care to know anything of their lives. Although the book description reads "… the sanctity of her building is shattered – through violence and sex …" I was not prepared for the underlying tension of sexual violence and overt sexual violence toward women that runs through the narrative. It seemed unnecessary to the story line (similar to throwing a sex scene into a movie to attract the young male audience) and eventually takes over whatever story the author had planned to tell about Celia forging new bonds with her tenants. In my mind sex does not equal intimacy, and Celia's increasingly sexual relationships with her tenants do not translate into true intimacy; she is still holding herself apart behind her walls. In the end, we really know nothing substantial about Celia or her tenants. I was very disappointed with the reality of this book versus the initial description and its promising potential.