Sleep With Me, by Joanna Briscoe

Lelia and Richard have been together for sometime; Lelia gets pregnant and they decide to marry. But shortly after the conception, the strange Sylvie enters their lives and a set of increasingly disturbing events begin to disrupt their relationship.

Initially, it seems that the story, which is written in the first person alternately by Richard and Lelia, is going to be about Richard having an affair with Sylvie: he's obviously attracted to her, and Lelia seems not to know what's going on. But as the book progresses, it turns out that Lelia also has secrets that she's keeping from Richard. In fact I didn't think this was done very well: since you don't get to find out Lelia's side of the story until later on in the book, your sympathies are with her for most of the time, whereas I think it would have been more interesting if you'd known from the start that both of them were acting dubiously.

Sylvie's story, which you eventually discover, is a bit of a disappointment: at the same time implausible and mundane (if that's possible). Again I think it could have been better if her Sylvie's actions had been left unexplained.

OK to read once, but I wouldn't bother again.

Completed : 30-Jul-2006

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