The Art of Losing — Rebecca Connel

An exceptionally mature and tautly written first novel reminiscent of Josephine Hart s Damage Haunted by childhood loss 23 year old Louise takes on her late mothers name and sets out to find Nicholas the man she has always held responsible for her mothers death Now a middle aged lecturer husband and father Nicholas has nevertheless been unable to shake off the events of his past when he and Louises mother Lydia had a clandestine destructive and ultimately tragic affair As Louise infiltrates his life and the lives of his family she forms close and intimate relationships with both his son and his wife but her true identity remains unknown to Nicholas himself Tensions grow and outward appearances begin to crack as Louise and Nicholas both discover painful truths about their own lives each other and the woman they both loved