Jenn Ashworth's A Kind of Intimacy is absolutely brilliant. It is easily one of the best books I've read all year. I've already mentioned it in passing, and once I explain what the story is about you might well raise an eyebrow over my choice, but Ashworth knows how to tell a cracking good story. You can gage my enthusiasm for it by recalling how it usurped Wilkie Collins's place in my reading queue. Ashworth is compared to Ruth Rendell on the cover, which in my eyes is a heavy selling point. In this case she deserves all the kudos and comparisons she gets. Not only does Ashworth write in the same vein as Rendell with her razor sharp psychological insights but her story is really well written and tautly plotted. She moves around in time seamlessly, and trust me, by the time you've finished reading it's like a "pop" between the eyes.
I don't often feel quite the gamut of emotions about a character as I did reading A Kind of Intimacy. Annie Fairhurst is the narrator and she shares, very intimately you might say, the events of her recent and earlier past. By turns I felt sympathy, pity, amusement, anger, mistrust, fear and even shock by her behavior. As Annie tells her story you can't help but listen even though it is a little painful, and eventually you become so caught up in it all that you have to keep turning pages (with the odd titter, blush, and even unblinking wide eyes) until the dramatic end.
How many Annie's are out there in the world? She's only looking for "a little gentleness"--just like humans need food and water so too do they need gentleness. A fresh start is what Annie needs and after an unsatisfying foray into the realm of wife and mother-hood she's ready to move on to greener pastures. She actually doesn't go far before she finds a nice house, a duplex with a garden, in a quiet suburban neighborhood filled with families and young professionals. All in all a nice place to settle down and start anew and begin new friendships. Annie's not going into her new life unarmed. She brings with her a pile of tried and tested self help books and so is ready for any situation.
"'When stressed or upset, take time out to pamper yourself as you'd imagine a lover would. Self-care is the key to self-esteem, and an afternoon spent within the warm embrace of a bubble bath is never an afternoon wasted. Let the hot water run and watch those negative feelings dissolve away in the steam!'"
"That is a quotation from the opening chapter of Loving Yourself, Loving Another: Self Esteem for the Independent Woman and I still know it off by heart. Most of my favourite books have been written by professionals: the top experts in their fields. Even when I was living through my blackest hours and doubted the efficacy of a new lipstick or a bottle of nail polish, I deferred to the judgement of university experts and made the purchase, trusting in the advice of someone who knew enough about the topic to make a living writing books about it."
With advice like that it's no wonder Annie's behavior is misguided to say the least. I should mention a few things about Annie. She's obese and not particularly good in social situations. Her mother died when she was a young girl and her father was somewhat inept in the child rearing department particularly with a young girl with a weight problem. Sensitivity is not his strong suit. Annie struggled and did her best, but you know how sometimes children fall between the cracks. It's no surprise she took up the first romantic offer to come her way in order to get out of her situation, but with a man so many years her senior it's also no wonder the marriage didn't succeed. At the very beginning of the novel Annie drops hints that neither husband nor daughter will be joining her at her new residence. The story Annie tells about her life tends to change depending on who she is talking to and what she wants out of them. She can be untrustworthy, manipulative and even a little self-delusional. As a matter of fact Annie believes her next door neighbor, who has shown her small kindnesses but also has a very pretty young live-in girlfriend, is secretly in love with her. So Annie is willing to do what she must to make sure this new relationship gets off to a good start.
I don't like to give too much away as this is a story best allowed to unfurl before the reader's eyes. Ashworth dangles many a tasty morsel in front of the reader of Annie's sordid past but always knows just when to give over the goods and when to wait just a little bit longer. I was more intrigued than anything else when it came to a character like Annie, she's certainly one of the more interesting creations I've come across in a really long time. As disturbing as the things she did were, I couldn't quite condemn her, as she never really realized that she was doing anything wrong. Ashworth is a worthy heir to Ruth Rendell--lucky for us. I couldn't (and didn't want) to put this one down!
Many thanks to Europa Editions for sending this one my way. I'll definitely be watching for more by Jenn Ashworth.