Angela Henry’s A Perfect Affair is a perfect guaranteed thriller! It was an unputdownable-paced novel that forced me to complete it within four hours without a break!
Set on a university campus, the novel follows Dr Aaron and his wife, Paige, battling the consequences of Aaron’s affair with his colleague. The ‘other’ lady disappears without a trace, and naturally, the couple come under the suspicion of the law, their peers and even the students on campus. They juggle between proving their innocence and rebuilding their relationship against the harsh rumours and public condemnation. But are they innocent?
Henry skillfully uses two creative writing styles whose juxtaposition propels the reading experience sky-high. First, she narrates the story through the voices of multiple central characters in the novel. We get to hear Aaron, Paige and even the police detective’s side of the narrative throughout the entire investigation. This brings to light their emotional upheavals and focuses on their internal conflicts and state of mind that translate into their actions. And, of course, it ignites the reader’s curiosity.
Secondly, the author jumps timelines and, like a pendulum, swings back and forth, recounting events before and after Cara Morton (the ‘other’ lady of Dr Aaron) disappeared. Each chapter ends with a cliffhanger that forces you to turn the page over and continue. It starts to feel like an addiction after a certain point!
Each character is different and has a coloured motive to do away with Cara. Even Cara is painted with a troubled childhood and a singular adult life highly influenced by her upbringing. My favourite amongst the lot turned out to be Paige. Her confident stand in the face of betrayal while battling her inner turmoils is inspiring.
“We’re mended, repaired, and made new. And even though the cracks will still show, we’ll be stronger.”
With extramarital affairs and their consequences for a family at the centre, Angela Henry also touches upon the themes of domestic abuse, jealousy, greed and even love.
“Could I [Aaron] live with the consequences of what I’ve done?”
With all these pluses, the only downside to the entire experience was the finale reveal. Too convoluted and a far-fetched explanation made it an overwhelming task to understand and accept the same.
Regardless of this (for some, it may leave a bitter aftertaste), the book quickly attains the top spot in providing the best thrills to the reader. A true page-turner!
