In The Lessons by Naomi Alderman, we follow the life of James, who, from an early age, never seems to fit in anywhere but makes it to Oxford University where he thinks all will be well. But even here, he feels like an outsider and is on the point of leaving when he finds himself, almost by accident, among a circle of intense friends who live together in a house owned by fellow student - the immensely wealthy Mark Winters. Mark is a kind of puppet master, being incredibly generous, fun and loving one minute, but horrifically cruel and destructive the next. Mark moves into the house with his girlfriend Jess (far too good for him!) and becomes embroiled in the life and loves of Mark - helping to pick up the pieces when drink, drugs and dangerous sexual relations, primarily with men, threaten his benefactor's destruction. Life carries on, with more parties than studies, but graduation finally happens and the housemates break up and go their separate ways but not before Mark strings James along, awakening a desire in the latter that is instantly thwarted. But a tragedy pulls them back together, with James falling back under Mark's spell. But can James really help Mark without losing himself completely? This isn't an easy read and some of the characters are hard to like, and maybe unbelievable at times. But as a study of toxic love, it is a masterclass. You want to shout at James when you see how bad Mark is for him ... why oh why does he keep going back for more? But then, occasionally, you realise how damaged Mark is, and what may be lying underneath the self-centred chaos that emanates from every pore. With echoes of Brideshead Revisited, this is a more modern take on doomed relationships amid fabulous wealth!
My STAR rating: FOUR.
Length: 288 print pages.
Price I paid: £2.98.
Formats available: print; unabridged audio download; MP3 CD; ebook.
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