The Second Woman

Description

They'll always be together. He'll make sure of it Sandrine hates her body, her house, her life. Until she meets her man. He makes room for her in his home, with his son. He cares about where she is, and who she is speaking to. He loves her, intensely. Everything would be perfect, if only the first woman - his ex - would just stay away. . .

LOUISE MEY is a Paris-based author of contemporary noir novels dealing with themes of domestic and sexual violence, and harassment, often with a feminist slant. The Second Woman is her fourth novel, and the first to be translated into English. LOUISE ROGERS LALAURIE is a writer and translator from French, including Frederic Dard's The King of Fools and The Inspector of Strange and Unexplained Deaths by Olivier Barde-Cabucon, both published by Pushkin Vertigo. Her work has been shortlisted for the Best Translated Book Award, the Jan Michalski Prize for Literature and the Crime Writers Association International Dagger.

'A brutal and brilliant portrayal of psychological violence and female strength. In a genre that thrives on the mistreatment of women, Mey shows us the other side of the coin' - Anna Bailey, author of 'Tall Bones' 'An astonishingly immersive and chilling account of how abusive relationships form, and then escalate. Beautifully wrought, this is an important, psychologically astute novel which is deeply disturbing and profoundly real. It has the power of a psychic haunting, lingering long in the mind after you finish reading it' - Lisa Harding, author of 'Bright Burning Things' 'Louise Mey's The Second Woman smashes the Gothic trope of the first wife who haunts the second, literally returning her from the dead-along with memories of all that she has endured. An in-depth examination of women and their bodies, of violence and manipulation, Mey's work transcends an ordinary psychological thriller, ultimately providing a portrayal of domestic violence that is at once both difficult to look at and away from' - Christine Mangan, author of 'Tangerine' 'Brutal and brilliant, The Second Woman is a razor-sharp dissection of the dynamics of coercive control. Louise Mey's elegant prose paints a picture that is frightening and uncompromising, yet tinged with hope for a new and better world' - Jessica Moor, author of 'Keeper' 'An intense, disturbing read in which Mey slowly reveals the insidious nature of emotionally abusive relationships. . . Dark, suspenseful and beautifully written, The Second Woman is a masterful depiction of coercive control and its far-reaching impact. An important book to be out in the world' - Debbie Howells, Sunday Times bestselling author of 'The Bones of You'