Tear You Apart

Starred review from July 15, 2013
Riveting, poignant, and powerful, this vividly erotic novel from bestselling women’s fiction author Hart (Switch) explores the tempestuous collision of two lives and, unexpectedly, two hearts. Synesthetic art gallery staffer Elisabeth Amblin is a married middle-aged mother going through the motions of her life. When she meets artist Will Roberts, she realizes he fits perfectly and inexorably into the empty space in the center of her life—an emptiness she hadn’t known was there. Though neither of them wants to be caught up in an affair, Will and Elisabeth also can’t seem to wrench themselves apart. The unflinching realism and beautifully evoked synesthesia (“His voice... smelled and tasted like warm, oozing caramel”) add texture to an engaging and touching story. This tale is no light read as it shifts among shattering passion, soul-rending pain, and deep emotional hollowness. Even readers who usually disdain infidelity stories will be pulled in by Elisabeth and Will’s intense affair. Agent: Laura Bradford, Bradford Literary Agency.

September 15, 2013
A middle-aged married woman meets a photographer at a gallery opening and enters into an erotic affair, leading her to consider her current life and the moments in her past that led her to where she is. Elisabeth works at her best friend's art gallery, and openings are an everyday part of her life. Everything changes, however, when she meets photographer Will at the opening of his show. Before too long, they're involved in a passionate affair. Elisabeth is bored and unfulfilled in her marriage, and Will adds intensity and sensuality to her life. But he isn't relationship material, whereas Ross, her husband, may be disappointing, but he's steady, and leaving him would completely upend a comfortable life. Meanwhile, Elisabeth's twin daughters are just graduating from college and beginning their own "real lives," complete with fiances, wedding planning and professional anxieties. And her closest friends are going through life challenges. All of these events make Elisabeth contemplate her own choices and wonder what might have been. Or what could be. At the simplest level, this book is about a woman having a midlife crisis, being tempted by a sexy artist and revisiting some of the odd events of her life. However, Hart's beautiful use of language and discerning eye toward human experience elevate the book to a poignant reflection on the deepest yearnings of the human heart and the seductive temptation of passion in its many forms. Erotic, with elegant yet graphic descriptions of sex, the book explores one woman's dissatisfaction with her life and her ambivalence toward past and current choices. The storytelling is smooth, the characters textured and the plot compelling--though the use of first person, present tense at times seems to create an odd narrative distance, given the intimate subject matter. A gripping, lyrical journey into one woman's turning point in a life half lived.

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