First published 2025
Imogen Gresham notices the small things first. The way her husband Evelyn, a prominent barrister, lingers in conversation with their neighbor Blanche Silcox. How Blanche, a practical middle-aged woman in sensible clothes, seems to command his attention in ways that Imogen, beautiful and decades younger, cannot. Even something as trivial as how dishes get washed becomes charged with meaning in their household. Imogen finds herself in an impossible position, watching this competent, unremarkable woman steadily gain ground in what feels like a competition for Evelyn's heart. The contrast between the two women could not be starker, yet Imogen begins to suspect that youth and beauty may not be the advantages she assumed. Jenkins crafts this domestic drama with sharp wit and careful observation, revealing how the smallest gestures can carry enormous weight in marriage.
Genres: drama, literary-fiction, domestic-fiction, 20th-century
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, unreliable-narrator
Period: 20th-century
288 pages · Paperback · Virago Press Ltd