Wow, was this book not at all what I expected. This story is of a woman facing the inevitabilities of her age and its impact on how the world perceives her and how she perceives herself. She is not the easiest character to like, she’s self-centered and vain. She places such a high reverence on sexuality and desire so her reaching an advanced age is shaking the stability of her life. She and her husband, both professors, have always had an open marriage. That has come back to haunt them as her husband is accused of abusing his power with a student. She is struggling to understand the vitriol for both her and her husband. She struggles with the amount of attention he still receives in balance with the waning attention she is getting.
The scenes and times with Vladimir were all very weird. I think I expected something different from her strange obsession but I guess the story wants us to weigh fantasy versus reality. The last quarter of the book has some interesting turns which have the narrator reconsidering herself and those around her. The ending was a bit rushed for my taste but it was good to see where all of the characters end up.
I think if I was reading this one in physical book form, I may have struggled but with the audiobook I was able to multi-task during the more quiet, contemplative moments in her head and it kept the story moving for me. It was a bit like being a fly on the wall of other people’s lives. ⭐️⭐️⭐
Thanks to Libro.FM for access to this one via their ALC program. All opinions above are my own.
Are you dreading aging or are you happy to accept it with grace?
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