The Rayburn Affair by Laurie Petrou: Be careful what you wish for

I reviewed Laurie Petrou’s debut, Stargazer, four years ago, pleased to have found a new Canadian writer published in the UK. I’d been attracted by its female friendship theme which also runs through her third novel, The Rayburn Affair, albeit with a twist.

In the glow of the light, they appeared to Ruth’s eyes like beautiful characters from an illustrated manuscript. Later, she would replay the moment many times. Their arrival was like the opening of a scene, or the end of one: cinematic, theatrical, rich in colour and perfect in timing. 

Ruth is desperate to gain tenure at the university where she teaches creative writing, her finances too dire to pursue her longed-for career as an author. She counts herself as a superfan amongst the legion of ardent admirers of novelist Shelby Rayburn whose husband, acclaimed video artist Oscar Frost, teaches in the same faculty as Ruth. At the dean’s annual party, Ruth engineers a meeting with this golden couple, amazed to find herself taken up by them, quickly folded into an intimate friendship with her idol and the man who seems to be the most desired on campus. She’s thrilled when Shelby agrees to look at her stories, eagerly accepting the editorial advice her new friend offers during the week the three spend together at Shelby’s writing retreat, if a little unsettled by the cagey answers she’s noticed Shelby giving to questions about her own current project. When a startling proposal is put to her, she decides to accept despite the risks involved. Betrayal, retribution, and revenge ensue.

Their friendship had escalated to something special, rare. A true writer friend. But one so much more skilled, successful than her; it was as frightening as it was exciting.

Foreshadowing and shifting narrative perspectives ramp up the tension to a page-turning pace towards the end of this entertaining literary thriller. AI as a creative tool – something Petrou incorporates in her own teaching according to her author’s note – is explored and the cult of the author comes in for scrutiny with its unwelcome intrusion and relentless exposure. There’s a touch of Les Liaisons Dangereuses in the portrayal of Shelby and Oscar’s power couple, singling out young women for their attentions, counterbalanced by Shelby’s vulnerability revealed in narrative flashbacks. I thoroughly enjoyed this gripping exploration of friendship and creativity, which ends in a clever denouement and a gratifying exposure of bad behaviour.

Verve Books: Harpenden 9780857309440 256 pages Paperback