Review: THE AFFAIR, Bunty Avieson

• published by Pan Macmillan Australia 2002
• ISBN 0-7329-1142-7
• 272 pages
• source: Salvation Army Op Shop

Synopsis (Fantastic Fiction)

In the opulent rooms of a Sydney specialist, Nina and James Wilde are waiting to learn whether the hereditary condition that killed James' father will threaten not only James, but also their much-loved son, Luke.

This is just the beginning of Nina's torment.

She has a secret. Memories of another time and a passionate love that should never have happened but is still just as capable of destroying everything that is most important to her. It had started so innocently. But doesn't everyone say that? 

My Take

First of all, let me point out that I don't think that THE AFFAIR is really crime fiction, although Avieson's first novel APARTMENT 255, joint winner of the Ned Kelly Award for first fiction in 2002, was. And that is basically why I picked THE AFFAIR up from the Salvo's shelves earlier this week.

However there are mystery elements that are sustained well throughout the novel and quite a twist (actually a double twist) at the end that makes it a satisfying read.

One of the main threads of the novel is based on the call that Lloyds of London made on its Australian "names" in 1991 when it declared major losses in the years after 1988. You might like to do a little research reading here. Lloyds made a call for funds on its Australian "names" which threatened to bankrupt a number of family firms, including, in the novel, Wilde wines.

But the primary threads of the novel relate to Nina Wilde's affair, and that is why I say it isn't really crime fiction.
However I note the following

• 2003 - shortlisted for Ned Kelly Crime Writing Awards - Best Novel for The Affair
• 2004 - shortlisted for Ned Kelly Crime Writing Awards - Best Novel for The Wrong Door

My rating: 4.2

Read another review @ The Blurb

About the author

Carolyn "Bunty" Avieson (born 1962) is an Australian journalist, feature writer, novelist and academic. She was editor of the mass-circulation magazines Woman's Day and New Idea; has published three novels, a novella and travel memoir; and been translated into Japanese, German and Thai. more.