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Infidelity: A Novel
Ronnie, a hairdresser with a history of recklessness, feels stifled by the predictable, comfortable life laid out before her with her live-in boyfriend. Charlie is an anxiety-ridden award-winning writer, burdened by his literary success and familial responsibility, including a bread-winning wife and a child with autism. When the unlikely pair meets, a filmic affair begins on office desks and in Toronto hotel rooms, creating a false reality that offers solace in its secrets.
231 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2013
14 people are currently reading
543 people want to read
About the author
Stacey May Fowles
15 books97 followersStacey May Fowles is is an award-winning novelist, journalist, and essayist. She has written for the Globe and Mail, The Walrus, Torontoist, the National Post, Deadspin, Hazlitt, and Vice Sports, among others. Her most recent book, Baseball Life Advice, was published in spring 2017. She lives in Toronto, Ontario.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 63 reviews
October 15, 2013
An extremely engaging read...the type that sticks with you well beyond the last page. Richly created characters that perfectly straddle that line between good and bad. Stacey May Fowles tackles more than just the anatomy of an affair in this work, but also the idea of "being good", along with issues of infertility and cancer. And on top of that, her writing is stunning.
March 17, 2014
If you have an affair, you're a bad person, right? Well, no -- or at least that's the premise of this well-written novel, which explores the circumstances that lead an almost-married hairdresser to pursue an affair with a very married writer (and vice versa). The novel avoids black-and-white and moralistic thinking, choosing instead to concentrate on the intricacies of the web of relationships involved. Very well written. Highly recommended.
April 6, 2014
I wanted to like this book; Stacey Fowles is quite an artist with the English language. However there are some serious flaws in this novel.
The significant others were cookie cutter caricatures, the devoted wife who supports her husband both financially and emotionally, and the kind, thoughtful very handsome boyfriend. The significant others are basically very nice people and of course don't inspire passion, they signify the familiarity that comes with any long relationship. Then of course the outing of the relationship is quite weak. The writer points out how careful they were in the beginning to hide the relationship, however the couple begins to get more lax with with hiding hotel room bills, absences, and other tell-tale signs. This fore-shadowing is wasted when one of his colleagues tells her outright. There are other short cuts in this plots like this that stop this from being a great book and makes it just acceptable. I will watch for more by this writer because of her skill with language but this plot doesn't hold up to the writing.
The significant others were cookie cutter caricatures, the devoted wife who supports her husband both financially and emotionally, and the kind, thoughtful very handsome boyfriend. The significant others are basically very nice people and of course don't inspire passion, they signify the familiarity that comes with any long relationship. Then of course the outing of the relationship is quite weak. The writer points out how careful they were in the beginning to hide the relationship, however the couple begins to get more lax with with hiding hotel room bills, absences, and other tell-tale signs. This fore-shadowing is wasted when one of his colleagues tells her outright. There are other short cuts in this plots like this that stop this from being a great book and makes it just acceptable. I will watch for more by this writer because of her skill with language but this plot doesn't hold up to the writing.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 19, 2014
"People who commit infidelity all seem to end up in the same shitty hotel room."
Infidelity is packed with gems such as this one. From the very first sentence "They say it takes a lot of nerve to leave someone at the altar" I was hooked.
It was not only the plot that grabbed me. With a title like infidelity we know already what it's going to be about. In this case, a sought after, married writer with an autistic child and a soon to be married hairdresser.
That's interesting enough. But the real sparkles of this novel is the writing. Stacey May Fowles not only writes beautiful sentences but she takes literary risks that wowed me. For example, shifting points of views so smoothly and artistically. As a writer, I was fascinated with her style of writing.
She is a new discovery for me and I look forward to reading more of her
Infidelity is packed with gems such as this one. From the very first sentence "They say it takes a lot of nerve to leave someone at the altar" I was hooked.
It was not only the plot that grabbed me. With a title like infidelity we know already what it's going to be about. In this case, a sought after, married writer with an autistic child and a soon to be married hairdresser.
That's interesting enough. But the real sparkles of this novel is the writing. Stacey May Fowles not only writes beautiful sentences but she takes literary risks that wowed me. For example, shifting points of views so smoothly and artistically. As a writer, I was fascinated with her style of writing.
She is a new discovery for me and I look forward to reading more of her
March 24, 2014
I was headed for the bath and held out my two book picks from the library for my husband's input. In one hand was "A Better Way of Dying" and the other "Infidelity" with its really cool cover of thinning shears (my daughter cuts hair, I'd learned the correct term). Rather reluctantly he pointed at "Infidelity." I'd spotted it on the new shelf, which in Seattle makes me suspicious (if it's new around here and any good there's usually a wait list). Except it it's "foreign," as in any non-American writer, like, well a Canadian. A peek at the first page had me hooked so the question became, would it deliver on good cover design and killer preface.
Since I picked it up on Friday, started it on Saturday and finished it on Sunday night I'd say it held my interest. It's a tribute to the writer's unforgiving eye on both of her main characters, Ronnie, the woman-child and Charlie the Poet with a capital P. It's not about particularly liking either of these characters but as in a well-made film not being able to look away as they embark on an ill-advised affair. However even as Charlie deteriorates (this is not really a spoiler - he was always marginal) Ronnie grows up and we come to care about her. Not predictable after all, written by a young very talented writer who frankly deserves to be on the wait list. Now that I've finished.
Since I picked it up on Friday, started it on Saturday and finished it on Sunday night I'd say it held my interest. It's a tribute to the writer's unforgiving eye on both of her main characters, Ronnie, the woman-child and Charlie the Poet with a capital P. It's not about particularly liking either of these characters but as in a well-made film not being able to look away as they embark on an ill-advised affair. However even as Charlie deteriorates (this is not really a spoiler - he was always marginal) Ronnie grows up and we come to care about her. Not predictable after all, written by a young very talented writer who frankly deserves to be on the wait list. Now that I've finished.
May 5, 2015
I already loved Stacey May Fowles' baseball/sports writing but this was the first novel of hers I'd read. I love how she writes dialogue. LOVED THE DIALOGUE. And the complicated emotions involved and I truly enjoyed reading this novel. THESE ARE THE KINDA BOOKS I LOVE. Men and women and conversations and complicated emotions and little things and big things and life and life and life. And even when she writes things like: "So this is what it's like, then." "What it's like?" "An affair. I'd always wondered." Fowles/the narrator/the novel prove to be self-aware in a captivating way. A treat. LOVED.
April 6, 2014
Despite being unable to relate to the experience of marriage, the complexity of characters and relationships is realistic and heartbreaking. I was hooked right away and consumed the book within a few days (I'm a slow reader, fyi). It was trashy the way you expect it to be, but also poignant and refreshing in many ways. I found my naive belief in complete and utter love, without issues of life and logistics and reality, to be reconfirmed. And that's why I loved the book: being in love with someone and making it work are completely different things, and you're lucky if you can have both in one person.
February 17, 2014
I really liked this book though I have suffered while reading because the story is so true and authentic and written very well ,raw and poetic. I not appreciated the end , maybe the author gives to we the choise or the answer is in the title, this is a story of infidelity ,no judgments or convictions. This is among the best books that I have read , of those that reach your soul and heart and do to think. Difficult to explain, better read it.
June 30, 2014
A really strong novel with fascinating characters. Here's a book where the protagonists aren't that sympathetic, or wouldn't usually be to me, but somehow I managed to be compelled by their stories. I think that comes down to the great skill and assurance of Fowles's writing. She grasps the ambivalence of infidelity.
October 29, 2013
WOW what a great novel!!! The overarching plot is of a famous writer who falls in love with a not so famous hairdresser - but to me the real story was about needing versus wanting; relying on others versus self-reliance; confidence versus low-esteem; longing versus having; joy versus boredom - love versus lust.
Really really enjoyed this book!
Really really enjoyed this book!
July 21, 2017
At first, I rolled my eyes about a book based in Toronto. Although the environment and the city itself is only mentioned through street names and the mention of streetcars, this story feels exactly like Toronto. From the selfish characters and over-the-top cocktail parties to the existential crises and excessive egos to the endless cliches and predictability, this story was exactly what I would expect from a story about Toronto.
Besides that, the story was much deeper and more clever than it originally let on. This felt just like an affair, the initial fun and excitement that eventually leads to guilt and shame. The characters were very real and relateable, their heartbreak was honest and felt true.
Besides that, the story was much deeper and more clever than it originally let on. This felt just like an affair, the initial fun and excitement that eventually leads to guilt and shame. The characters were very real and relateable, their heartbreak was honest and felt true.
November 12, 2017
I was thoroughly expecting this to be a light read, a book of little substance who's job it was to cleanse my palate between more substantial works. I was wrong. Infidelity offers up a realistic and complex perspective on the extramarital affair. Told from the points of view of the "guilty" parties, Fowles presents a fresh perspective that gives the reader much to think about. This book follows the path of a doomed-from-the-start clandestine relationship and its effects on all those involved.
Very intelligently written and the characters come across as believable. There are a few instances of contrived scenes but, all in all, definitely worth the read. This book would certainly be a hit with the book club set as there is much to discuss here.
Very intelligently written and the characters come across as believable. There are a few instances of contrived scenes but, all in all, definitely worth the read. This book would certainly be a hit with the book club set as there is much to discuss here.
August 30, 2020
There really not much I can say about this book except that it was OK. That’s it. It wasn’t bad it wasn’t good it was just OK. I can’t really say anything bad about it. It plodded along with two pretty unlikeable characters but that’s the thing, you’re not meant to like them so the author did her job there but because of that I found myself not really caring about them either. I also can’t really say anything good about it except that it was what I imagine to be a pretty realistic situation between 4 people.
Sorry I can’t be more emphatic.
Sorry I can’t be more emphatic.
October 11, 2019
Well I was unable to put this book down. The reader is torn between all four main characters, or, more precisely, the two main ones. Which is the right answer? Is there a right answer?
It cements something in me, as a writer.
Write what you feel. If you don't feel something the words won't come out right.
It cements something in me, as a writer.
Write what you feel. If you don't feel something the words won't come out right.
June 1, 2017
The thing that drew me to the book was that it was told from the perspective of the cheaters..I was intrigued by this. There was little 'judging' in the book, despite the subject. I did however, have a hard time relating to the main characters.
April 6, 2021
I was enjoying this tale of infidelity; the undeniable attraction, the progression of their relationship, the discovery by his spouse,and looking to see where picking up the pieces was going ......and then the book ended. What the?!?
January 22, 2018
A meticulous dissection of an affair conducted by an author and a hairdresser. The characters are all flawed and there seems little happiness for either of them.
September 30, 2018
Started well but characters couldn’t follow through with the necessary depth and it got annoying.
May 7, 2019
It had potential but fell flat.
July 22, 2019
Hated this book. I listen to audio and the only reason I finished it is because of my reading challenge. Ugh, never get that time back!
March 4, 2020
It started slowly, I felt the two unfaithful characters were authors of their own misfortune. Then they grew in depth, complexity. I would read this author again....
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 31, 2020
Gorgeously written ... almost impossible to put down. Highly recommend.
December 23, 2025
Very disturbing and depressing.
October 1, 2015
~I received this book from a Goodreads giveaway in exchange for a fair review.~
I really enjoyed this one! Infidelity is everything one wants in a "guilty pleasure" read. And talk about guilty!! One will also laugh when I say that it was actually refreshing and by that I mean that the characters were not perfect housewives with perfect husbands, who led perfect lives, had perfect children and were also NOT perfectly pretty. Nope. The characters were flawed from the start.
Veronica, or Ronnie, is engaged to be married to Aaron, who is almost perfect, but also very boring and SAFE. Aaron owns a catering company and Ronnie often helps out. While assisting Aaron one night at a party, Ronnie catches the eye of Charlie, the honored guest of said party. Charlie is a celebrated author, much older than Veronica, and very married. Charlie is also a father to an autistic son named, Noah. Charlie isn't the most responsible guy. He is neurotic, anal, and suffers from anxiety attacks. Charlie NEEDS someone to take care of him. He craves attention and he is instantly attracted to Ronnie, who appears to be carefree, independent, and quite opposite from everything that Charlie isn't.
When Ronnie first lays eyes on Charlie she sees an older man, not very attractive, pot bellied and messy but there is something about Charlie that draws Veronica in to him. Charlie is everything that Aaron is not.
Ronnie and Charlie's worlds collide at a time when both of their lives appear to be very fragile. Ronnie seems to want to sabotage her future, to shake things up because they seem so vanilla, wants to be reckless in her too safe world. Charlie is in need of someone to take care of him, to worship and idolize him, to give him the emotional comfort he lacks. And so it begins. Infidelity.
What does one stand to gain from such a relationship? Or...better yet, what does one stand to lose?
I really enjoyed this one! Infidelity is everything one wants in a "guilty pleasure" read. And talk about guilty!! One will also laugh when I say that it was actually refreshing and by that I mean that the characters were not perfect housewives with perfect husbands, who led perfect lives, had perfect children and were also NOT perfectly pretty. Nope. The characters were flawed from the start.
Veronica, or Ronnie, is engaged to be married to Aaron, who is almost perfect, but also very boring and SAFE. Aaron owns a catering company and Ronnie often helps out. While assisting Aaron one night at a party, Ronnie catches the eye of Charlie, the honored guest of said party. Charlie is a celebrated author, much older than Veronica, and very married. Charlie is also a father to an autistic son named, Noah. Charlie isn't the most responsible guy. He is neurotic, anal, and suffers from anxiety attacks. Charlie NEEDS someone to take care of him. He craves attention and he is instantly attracted to Ronnie, who appears to be carefree, independent, and quite opposite from everything that Charlie isn't.
When Ronnie first lays eyes on Charlie she sees an older man, not very attractive, pot bellied and messy but there is something about Charlie that draws Veronica in to him. Charlie is everything that Aaron is not.
Ronnie and Charlie's worlds collide at a time when both of their lives appear to be very fragile. Ronnie seems to want to sabotage her future, to shake things up because they seem so vanilla, wants to be reckless in her too safe world. Charlie is in need of someone to take care of him, to worship and idolize him, to give him the emotional comfort he lacks. And so it begins. Infidelity.
What does one stand to gain from such a relationship? Or...better yet, what does one stand to lose?
October 7, 2013
Wow, this one sure grabs ya! From the cover (innocuous yet threatening haircutting scissors), to the setting (love a book set in places I know; the tony yet comfy Annex, the U of T campus and bars and hotels of downtown Toronto). What struck me most about this one is its modernity. Fowles employs a style that uses multiple pov's and narratives (first, third, and occasionally second), and varied language styles and usage, depending on the character and/or occasion. Quick, sharp chapters, sometimes just the length of an email or short poem. This is no torrid bodice-ripping gothic romance. In fact, it's not a romance at all, about married and engaged couples having affairs. Told with a clear eye and forthright language, this is a dissection of an affair, and the damage and mess it can - and will - cause in the lives of all those involved. With no big drama or twisty-turny plot to flip the pages for you, it is surprisingly light and humorous through much of it, driven mostly by the dialogue - witty flirtatious banter, emails, phone and text messages. Fowles dives unflinchingly into the heart of the matter - how does an affair happen in the first place, how does it function during, and how it inevitably comes crashing to an end. Having said there is no twisty-turny plot, the ending is somewhat of a surprise, and without giving anything away, it is one of those things people who have been involved in affairs may or may not fantasize about happening... to one degree or another... And how can you not love a rottweiler named Ramona who saves the day??
May 3, 2016
Ronnie is 35 and has been living with Aaron for about five years. She is a hairdresser and he is a caterer. She helps him at one of his catering events one night and meets Charlie, a 50ish author and university professor. They are instantly attracted. Ronnie is feeling pressure from Aaron to get pregnant and Charlie is looking for something different outside his marriage and caring for his autistic son. They want each other but neither is willing to leave their comfortable lives.
The story is set in Toronto ... Ronnie and Aaron "live" not far from me in Parkdale and Charlie "lives" in the Annex. So when the author was talking about the different areas of the city the characters were in, I knew where she was talking about.
While I didn't like the story (it was bizarre) or the characters (I didn't warm up to them), I did like the writing style and that's what kept me reading. I was curious to see how things would end up. As a head's up, there is a lot of swearing and some adult activity.
Blog review post: http://www.teenaintoronto.com/2016/05...
The story is set in Toronto ... Ronnie and Aaron "live" not far from me in Parkdale and Charlie "lives" in the Annex. So when the author was talking about the different areas of the city the characters were in, I knew where she was talking about.
While I didn't like the story (it was bizarre) or the characters (I didn't warm up to them), I did like the writing style and that's what kept me reading. I was curious to see how things would end up. As a head's up, there is a lot of swearing and some adult activity.
Blog review post: http://www.teenaintoronto.com/2016/05...
October 5, 2013
Infidelity, is about just that, two people who embark on an affair. The story starts out simply, like the way that Ronnie and Charlie's started out. A meet, a talk, a spark, coffee, emotionally becoming adrift from their significant other. Soon, it becomes a full fledged one, romantic initially then like every other affair, a downward spiral of asking for more. Infidelity, is not a romance, it doesn't tell you why Ronnie and Charlie started it. Its an anatomy of one affair that started out as innocent and soon became a catalyst for everything going wrong. I can't find fault in this book, it delivered the depression of two people starting something that can never really end happily. In this way the writing was excellent, there was no wishy washy way that an affair was used an excuse. The characters were never self destructive, like the reader they just went along with the inevitable. Definitely not a happy light and entertaining read but definitely engaging in a certain way.
August 1, 2022
I would give this book 3.5, it isn’t just my taste of book, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that the writing is absolutely beautiful!! each page is so descriptive and the poetry in it is also so perfect!
the thing about how i perceived this book is that we are not mean’t to like the main characters at all, i don’t like how the ending of the book made it seem like veronica is the victim and innocent, though what charlie did to her is absolutely vile and disgusting, it shouldn’t take away from the fact that veronica pursued after a married man with a child and she in a healthy and safe relationship also cheated.
i am not at all saying that veronica should have stayed with aaron, because she clearly wasn’t happy trying to fit a narrative, but it was not fair for aaron to be living a life with his fiancé believing they would marry.
this novel was definitely a good read, i couldn’t put it down! this book definitely tested my morals a ton
the thing about how i perceived this book is that we are not mean’t to like the main characters at all, i don’t like how the ending of the book made it seem like veronica is the victim and innocent, though what charlie did to her is absolutely vile and disgusting, it shouldn’t take away from the fact that veronica pursued after a married man with a child and she in a healthy and safe relationship also cheated.
i am not at all saying that veronica should have stayed with aaron, because she clearly wasn’t happy trying to fit a narrative, but it was not fair for aaron to be living a life with his fiancé believing they would marry.
this novel was definitely a good read, i couldn’t put it down! this book definitely tested my morals a ton
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 3, 2013
I first read about this book on the 49th Shelf website, in a post titled "Literary Revelations: Top Reviewers Pick Their Surprise Books of the Year." This was one of Jared Bland's picks.
My interest was piqued by the short description of the book when I looked its listing up online, but what really drew me - and held me until the end - was something Bland wrote about this book in selecting it for the post mentioned above - the nuance, sadness and beauty in this story.
Separately, since the story is set in Toronto, I could visualize this story as it unfolded, including clandestine meetings in dark bars, running in the Annex in the rain and wandering the university campus, finding solace in its quiet spots.
My interest was piqued by the short description of the book when I looked its listing up online, but what really drew me - and held me until the end - was something Bland wrote about this book in selecting it for the post mentioned above - the nuance, sadness and beauty in this story.
Separately, since the story is set in Toronto, I could visualize this story as it unfolded, including clandestine meetings in dark bars, running in the Annex in the rain and wandering the university campus, finding solace in its quiet spots.
October 10, 2014
This book is getting two stars because I did want to finish it, but I wasn't really enjoying it. The writing was lovely, but I didn't like any of the characters. Every single one of them was a personified stereotype, from the loving boyfriend to the poet. The relationships were all incredibly cliche; the loving, but dull, relationships were flung aside in favour of the passion, excitement, and chemistry of an affair between two opposites who you would have never expected to be together. I'm sure this was intentional, but I was expecting something different.
I was so excited for a book set in my home town and a story that I thought would provide insight into the fictional mind of someone having an affair. This book just fell flat for me, unfortunately.
I was so excited for a book set in my home town and a story that I thought would provide insight into the fictional mind of someone having an affair. This book just fell flat for me, unfortunately.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 63 reviews