The narrator mentions in the beginning of the novel that when she was younger, she knew old men loved her and she loved them back. She is a popular English professor who teaches at the same small liberal arts college as her husband. Her husband, John, is a charismatic professor but, he's also under investigation for having affairs with his former students. The couple have a long standing agreement when it comes to their extra-marital pursuits, but with these allegations, it has made life far more uncomfortable for the both of them. Then our narrator becomes obsessed and falls head over heels in love with Vladimir, a new highly celebrated young married novelist who joins the department.
I thought this was going to be an interesting spin on "Lolita" but, this novel was an absolute bore. The short novel goes on and on about random and meaningless details. For example, on two separate occasion the author decides to write out a ten plus item grocery list or she gives step by step description of items she is cooking. I also don't like how the author switches her train of thought randomly and constantly. I feel like this distracting and makes the dialogue feel disjointed. For example, the narrator starts analyzing her workload and then she starts thinking about her relationship with her husband and then jumps back to her workload all in the same thought. And then her inner self reflections go on and on and add nothing to the story. I was more than 75% done with the novel before I lost interest in the novel as I am yet to see a story emerge. If you like long self reflections with tons of details, then you will enjoy this book.
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