Review: Adèle

Adèle by Leila Slimani
Genre: Literary Fiction   
Page Length: 224 pages
Publication Date: 15 January 2019
Publisher: Faber & Faber
Source: ARC via NetGalley
 
Stars:  5 out of 5
 
Link: AMAZON (UK)

 
ABOUT ADÈLE
 
Adèle appears to have the perfect life. A respected journalist, she lives in a flawless Parisian apartment with her surgeon husband and their young son. But beneath the veneer of 'having it all', she is bored - and consumed by an insatiable need for sex, whatever the cost. Struggling to contain the twin forces of compulsion and desire, she begins to orchestrate her life around her one night stands and extramarital affairs, arriving late to work and lying to her husband about where she's been, until she becomes ensnared in a trap of her own making.
 
An erotic and daring story - with electrically clear writing - Adèle will captivate readers with its exploration of addiction, sexuality, and one woman's quest to feel alive.

My Review:

I thought this was pitched as a story about an unhappy marriage and it is but it is so much more.  I went back to the book blurb and it says it all:
 
But beneath the veneer of 'having it all', [Adèle] is bored - and consumed by an insatiable need for sex, whatever the cost.
 
Adele is unhappily married and feels trapped by her husband and child, both of whom she loves. She's addicted to strangers and risky one night stands. She alienates her best friend who she uses as a regular alibi.
 
Adèle is a brilliant book, and the eponymous protagonist gives it all with little remorse. There are moments of sex, but rarely sensual. It concentrates of the perfunctory of coitus and Adèle's sex addiction is the chase and the conquest rather than the deed. As Adele herself confesses her only ambition is to be wanted. The betrayal of her family is deep-rooted. The story is fascinating as it flowed. It is intimate and revealing, as if I was being told the all the gory and exposing details from a friend.
 
VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
 
Thank you so much the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a complimentary electronic copy in return for an honest review.