4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
Is it cheating if no sex is involved? Novel explores the nuances of emotional infidelity
Seduction Theory by Emily Adrian is brimming with gimlet-eyed humour and deadpan coolness, and delivers a writing masterclass in one scene where a phone-sex session doesn't quite go to plan
From Chris Kraus' I Love Dick and Susan Choi's My Education to Elif Batuman's The Idiot, campus novels hold plenty of appeal, and for good reason. They are self-contained environments with their own rules and social dynamics. Its inhabitants are young, idealistic and fresh off the leash. Its older denizens – staff, academics, lecturers – are often intellectuals stuck in a sort-of adolescence. Elite campuses in particular are ripe for satire.
Into this canon now comes Emily Adrian's observant and playful novel Seduction Theory; her third novel for adults (the New Haven-based author has also written two Young Adult novels). Nearly 20 years into their marriage, Simone and Ethan – both professors in a local college – are still enjoying a stable, fulfilling, intellectually stimulating relationship. They decided not to have children because Simone wanted to spend the rest of her life 'reading books and undressing' her husband.
