The Temporary Book

When one of corporate London's transient typists unexpectedly crosses Ralph Loman's path, her disruptive beauty ignites a brief blaze of excitement in his troubled heart. But Francine Snaith is ravenous for attention, driven by a thirst for conquest, and when Ralph tries politely to extricate himself he finds he is bound in chains of consequence from which it seems there is no escape. 'Brilliantly perceptive...a ruthlessly honest dissection of modern sensibilities...It says much for her growing skills as a novelist that she is able to make something like a work of art out of her drawerful of our daily junk' - "The Times". 'Breathtaking, fascinating and believable..."The Temporary" would be worth reading for its self-regarding, utterly thoughtless anti-heroine alone, yet Cusk's interpretation of menial office existence and her understanding of its psychology is also piercing' - "Financial Times". 'This is the story of a Julie Burchill heroine in a Julian Barnes world...Cusk has earned all her eulogies. She is a writer of great promise' - "Literary Review". '"Temporary", a category of both employment and lifestyle, is such an apt metaphor of Nineties existence that Cusk deserves special praise just for thinking of it...She writes with nervy precision about the vagaries of minor ambitions and desires' - "Guardian". 'An exquisitely written gem of a book' - "Vogue".