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In
Fidelity
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An ENE Review of the novel
In Fidelity by MJ Rose
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| I once asked a friend, a lifelong resident of New York City, if he
ever felt paranoid, or if the chaos of living in one of the greatest cities
on the planet was just something that one got used to. He replied, "Paranoia
is just a heightened state of consciousness." For the characters in M.J.
Rose's second novel, In
Fidelity, who are also residents of the Big Apple, I believe this
would be true. |
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| The story centers around Jordan Sloan, a woman with the weight of
her entire universe on her shoulders. She's a psychologist with a successful
practice, the mother of a daughter who's on the threshold of adulthood,
and the estranged wife of photographer Robert Falconer. They separated after
Jordan caught another woman performing oral sex on Robert in his darkroom,
and for five years since, she has staunchly refused to forgive him. She
does, however, live in the same house with him, occupying separate floors,
for the sake of a "normal life" for her daughter Lilly. As you might imagine,
the biggest lobbyist for a reconciliation is Lilly, who never gives up hope. |
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| But the greatest weight on Jordan's heart is the murder
of her father, when she was almost the same age her daughter is now. Jordan
not only witnessed the crime, but tried - unsuccessfully - to keep her father
alive until the police arrived. Plus, the perpetrator was a former suitor
who had been recently fired by her father. The book opens just as the murderer,
Dan Mallory, has been paroled after twenty years in prison. Although Jordan
barely remembers what he looked like, she starts to see him behind every
tree and in every crowd. Is her paranoia justified, or has Mallory truly
changed? |
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| Everyone in this novel deals with personal change - not only Jordan,
who must come to terms with her marriage and her past, but her whole family.
A complex plot kept me glued to almost every page (it lagged ever so slightly
about two-thirds of the way through, but that turned out to be the calm
before a stormy conclusion). Most interesting to me was the first person
point of view - although readers tend to trust a narrator who tells his/her
own story, they'll probably find themselves (as I did) tempted to take Jordan
Sloan out back and shake some sense into her. Others point out to her how
she preaches change to her patients, yet cannot embrace that same change
for herself. She's a stubborn one, that Jordan, but even the most headstrong
among us can learn and change. |
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| M.J. Rose's first novel, Lip
Service, was a howling success, another page-turner with complexities
aplenty. There are fewer twists and turns in her second novel's plot, but
that's just fine with me. Ms. Rose shows no fear of displaying her characters
entirely, and although this is not a novel of erotica, it has many erotic
scenes that are perfectly in character for all involved. The characters
themselves were all fascinating, realistic, and kept me spellbound to the
last page. If, like me, it's been a long time since you've treated yourself
to a good psychological suspense, then grab In
Fidelity right away - and don't pick up the phone until you reach
the end. |
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IN
FIDELITY by MJ Rose is available
for purchase through Amazon.Com
Hot on the trail of her much talked-about debut, Lip Service,
M.J. Rose once again explores the dark corners of the human psyche
in a riveting and erotic tale of love, lust...and betrayal.
Although everyone thinks she's being paranoid, psychotherapist
Jordan Sloan knows better. Haunted by the long-ago murder of her
father, she learns that his killer has been paroled and she instantly
fears his revenge. Only she knows the dark secret of her relationship
with Mallory -- and the depth of her deception in providing the
testimony that put him away. She sees him in shadows, in mirrors,
in photographs her teenage daughter takes in the park....
Still suffering the bruises of her husband's betrayal, Jordan
grapples with ambiguous emotions even as she is drawn again to
her estranged spouse. Clinging desperately to the hard-earned
stability of her life, she maneuvers through the meshwork of love's
fragile bonds, layers of longing, and the chaos that is human
relationships. All the while, a mysterious new patient seems intent
on contributing to Jordan's unraveling. For as she struggles to
prove that her fear of Mallory is justified, she also wrestles
with how it might feel to finally forgive Robert's infidelity.
M.J. Rose has crafted a rare and evocative new novel of spellbinding
energy, as a woman come to terms with her own life -- assuming
she will continue to enjoy the luxury of living it. Read
an excerpt from Infidelity.
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All Text, Codes, Graphics © 2001 ENE. All
Rights Reserved.
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