Indiscretion
by Charles Dubow
Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks
Date: July 9, 2013
ISBN:
9780062201065
Pages: 400
Rating: 3 out of 5
Book Summary: Harry and Madeleine Winslow have been
blessed with talent, money and charm.
Harry is a National Book Award-winning author. Madeleine is a woman of sublime beauty and grace. The Winslows play host to a coterie of close
friends and acolytes eager to bask in their golden radiance, whether they are
in their bucolic East Hampton cottage, abroad in Rome, or in their comfortable
Manhattan brownstone.
One weekend
Harry and Maddy meet Claire, who eagerly falls into their welcoming orbit. But soon her reverence transforms into a
dangerous desire and she no longer remains one of their hangers-on.
A story of
love, lust, deception and betrayal as seen through the omniscient eyes of
Maddy’s childhood friend, Walter, a narrator akin to Nick Carraway in The
Great Gatsby, Indiscretion is an irresistibly sensual
page-turner.
My Thoughts: Personality and behavior has always
interested me. Infidelity, for example: cheating on a
significant other, especially a spouse, is one of those behaviors I just don’t
“get”. It makes life messy, unhappy and
complicated for the people directly involved and for many who are involved
tangentially. So I was interested in Indiscretion by Charles Dubow because I
wondered if the cheater would be taken to task for what he did or if the author,
himself a male, would gloss over the behavior. I also hoped that Charles Dubow would portray
the results of a spouse’s cheating.
Often it destroys the lives of the people they supposedly loved. I still don’t understand cheating and, although Indiscretion is an interesting book and
written well-enough to make me angry at times as well as sad, it didn’t provide
any more insight or answers for cheating than I had going in. I expect this is because there aren’t any. But Dubow does
show what can happen to a solid, loving family when one spouse cheats.
Harry
Winslow, a fiction writer, lives what many would consider a charmed life. He and
his wife Maddy have a strong marriage and love each other like they did the day
they were married twenty years ago. They
have a young son, Johnny, whom they fought hard to have. He is their pride. Thanks
to Maddy, who has supported Harry in all ways, including financially, he’s been
able to work at writing for years.
Currently, his first bestselling book was awarded the National Book Award. When Indiscretion
begins, Harry and Maddy are throwing one of their usual summer parties in the
Hamptons to celebrate. Harry is
charming, funny, a great host and storyteller.
He appears to only have eyes for his beautiful wife, Maddy who is kind
and witty.
One of the
guests at their party, Claire, isn’t that interested in her date, Clive, but wants a
weekend in the Hamptons and the chance to meet the author, Harry Winslow. Claire is in her early 20s and, of course, is
“beautiful and alluring”. She’s just
starting out her publishing career so she has very little money. Claire
instantly falls in love with Harry and Maddy’s home and is smitten with Harry. She flirts with him then ingratiates herself
with Maddy by offering to help in the kitchen.
Claire has found something she likes and wants: Harry and Maddy’s life. After some careful and subtle manipulation, she’s
suddenly spending every weekend with the Winslows in the Hamptons.
We soon see
a different side of the charming, pleasant Claire, however, when she learns the
Winslows are moving to Rome for a year once the summer’s over. Her poise and
charm are replaced by a sullenness and anxiety. She drinks far too much one night and when
Harry drives her home, Claire throws herself at him, declaring her love and
asking him not to go to Rome. She
beseeches him to run away with her which a flabbergasted Harry declines. Claire slips away the next morning leaving a
contrite note of apology and the Winslows move to Rome.
From the
title of the book, I was sure Dubow wasn’t finished with the saga of Claire and
Harry, especially since the book was barely half over. At this point in the story, I distrusted
almost everything Claire said and did, believing it was all designed to serve
her ulterior motive: Harry. But then I
stopped myself, wondering if I really thought she alone was to blame for
whatever was growing between them. Very
few older men don’t respond to the flirtations
of a young, beautiful woman. Given Harry’s personality, I suspect he went right
along with Claire’s flirting and went out of his way to charm her with stories
from his past and life anecdotes.
After being
in Rome a few months, Harry returns to NYC alone to meet with his publishers. Unfortunately, the formulary aspect of this
book means I expect every reader knows where the story is going. Harry’s agent takes him to a publishing party
where his presence is expected. I’m sure
you can all guess what comes next. Shocker
of shockers: Claire happens to be at the party. Coincidence?
She’d have Harry think so. Claire seems genuinely surprised to see him. Harry’s only too happy to see her, confirming
suspicions that Harry’s interested. So
when their affair begins, I don’t think either one deserves the lion’s share of
the blame. They both know what’s at
stake. Harry has a responsibility to
Maddy and Johnny, of course but Claire knows all about his family and how Harry
loves them. Claire behaves like a “typical
mistress”, whining, cajoling, crying, and becoming angry when she’s denied time
with him. She wants to go to fancy,
expensive restaurants and on vacations together etc. As the story progresses, it doesn’t appear
as if it’s going to end well. You’ll
have to read it to find out!
Dubow
includes an interesting vehicle in the story that made me question what was
really happening with Harry and Claire.
Walter is a high-powered attorney
who never married. He’s been friends
with Maddy Winslow since she was a child.
They went to Yale together and he becomes a great friend to Harry as
well. He lives near the Winslows in Manhattan most
of the year. Summer weekends he spends
at his family’s summer house next door to Harry and Maddy. Suffice to say, Walter knows them well. Walter becomes the narrator of this story
from page 25 to the end. I think he
means well and wants to tell a true story.
He admits “I have tried to be as scrupulous as possible in my telling of
it.” The problem I have with Walter is
that he’s in love with Maddy and has been for many years.
At one point
Walter tries to seduce Claire but she turns him down, seeing Walter more like an
older brother. As a result of his feelings for both women, Walter isn’t
a reliable narrator. He also admits that
much of the story he tells is second-hand, culled from scribbles on legal pads,
recalled memories and other sources that are inherently unreliable. So it’s almost impossible to know if the story
we get is unbiased. Is it tainted by
personal feelings and emotions, and if so, who’s? Harry’s or Walter’s or both
depending where in the story we are. This is because much of what Walter tells
us comes from a manuscript of Harry’s. I
can’t divulge more without giving away the ending.
Ultimately,
it’s the story of a cheating spouse with a woman who knew his family well but
wanted their life to be her own. And, as
with so many tales of indiscretion, it doesn’t end well. Indiscretion is well written.
I had strong feelings for the
characters, and not always positive ones, which is a good thing as it means
they were well developed and complex.
However, despite a few surprises, the book was really nothing more than
a typical May-December story of cheating populated of beautiful people. Of course there is the fallout to deal with,
but this part of the book didn’t offer much in the way of new insights so if
you’re looking for compelling psychological studies, this isn’t the book for
you.
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