REVIEW:

I once heard some diet guru say that you really only need to eat three bites of anything. Take one bite to say “hello,” one bite to savor the flavor, and one bite to say “goodbye.” Hahhahahhahaha!

No.

For some reason that ridiculousness came to mind after finishing Taylor Jenkins Reid’s exquisite epistolary short story, Evidence of the Affair. It made me realize I would actually rather take three metaphorical bites of anything she’s written than binge on a lesser author’s novel offering.

In a mere 80 pages, TJR takes readers back to 1976 when the wife of a philandering husband writes to his mistress’s husband to inform him of the affair and see if he might be able to bring context to the relationship. Their exchange of correspondence reveals the details of both marriages and the unfulfilled dreams crushed under their weights.

Gorgeous words. Believable characters. Satisfying conclusion. Goes to show that successful storytelling truly is about the quality of the ingredients.

Evidence of the Affair is part of the Kindle Unlimited collection and includes WhisperSync for those who may prefer the audiobook format.

PUBLISHER SYNOPSIS:

The repercussions of an illicit affair unfold in this short story by bestselling author Taylor Jenkins Reid.

Dear stranger…

A desperate young woman in Southern California sits down to write a letter to a man she’s never met — a choice that will forever change both their lives.

My heart goes out to you, David. Even though I do not know you…

The correspondence between Carrie Allsop and David Mayer reveals, piece by piece, the painful details of a devastating affair between their spouses. With each commiserating scratch of the pen, they confess their fears and bare their souls. They share the bewilderment over how things went so wrong and come to wonder where to go from here.

Told entirely through the letters of two comforting strangers and those of two illicit lovers, Evidence of the Affair explores the complex nature of the heart. And ultimately, for one woman, how liberating it can be when it’s broken.