My Nemesis by Charmaine Craig is both straightforward (in terms of concept and structure) and marvelously complex (in terms of the Camus lens, and Craig’s choice of perspective).

The protagonist is Tessa, a successful female writer who develops a friendship, first by correspondence and then in person, with Charlie, a philosopher and scholar based. As it happens, Charlie is extremely attractive. Sparks fly as they exchange ideas about Camus and masculine desire, and their intellectual connection promises more but their spouses are the obstacle.

…to be drawn into Charlie’s world was to become part of a very deep and ongoing conversation, to be pulled along the currents of his innermost thoughts and conflicts, and to be attended to intimately in ways of the heart and mind – and soul, if I’m honest. I had only to send or say three or four words to him for the faucet of his intimacy to turn on. Continue reading →