Love, etc. Book

Oliver, Stuart and Gillian have been friends and lovers. It's ten years since they last met, and a lot has changed. For a start, Oliver has married Gillian, and Stuart, his erstwhile best friend, hates him for it. Not just because Stuart was once married to Gillian but because he still loves her. His last memory of Gillian was of seeing her, covered in blood, after a vicious row with Oliver, and he has never relinquished his vow to rescue her. Under the guise of repairing old friendships--"all blood under the bridge"--mild-mannered Stuart insinuates himself into their life, offering advice, support, even giving Oliver a job. As Oliver is manoeuvred into a crippling depression, Stuart unveils his deadly masterplan. In Love, etc., the sequel to Talking It Over, Barnes adopts the same technique he used previously, allowing his characters to speak their innermost thoughts and secrets directly to the reader. The result is a bewitchingly intimate excursion into a taut triangle of betrayal and jealousy. With painstaking detail, he creates a vibrant portrait of modern love--as funny as it is cruel, as absurd as it is deep. Few contemporary writers can portray Middle England, with all its temptations, so darkly.-- Matthew BaylisRead More