Review: My Time in the Affair by Stylo Fantome

I genuinely liked this authors writing style. While the topic may have been difficult to read about, the author’s ability to piece words together made this story less jarring.

‘My Time in the Affair’ was written mainly in the third person, however it switches back and forth to first person POV. Normally, this would have bugged the heck out of me, but it was done so perfectly, seamlessly, that the style added so much to the book. Having a narrator I think softened the story. Being an outsider looking in made the situation easier to stomach.

I am a rare reader in that cheating in a book does not normally bother me if it serves a purpose in the storyline. That is because it is a normal, every day fact of life. It’s destructive, it’s dangerous, it’s life-altering, but it’s real. I have never read a book that was about the cheating event, though, where it was the central theme. Even though I read the blurb, read the *warning*, I had no idea this was about cheating. And yet, I still enjoyed it.

Mischa was in a marriage, not a relationship. Even though she and her husband had been married for 8 years, there was something missing, something tangible, a connection. They had been best friends for so long, that it felt like that was all they were. She tried talking with her husband about it, but he kept glossing over her opinion and told her everything was fine.

When the opportunity came up to leave for two months to work in Italy and Turkey, she gladly took it. This was her chance, her chance to *feel* something. She had thoughts of cheating, of being with another man, but had never acted on it, but if she were far away, maybe?

Tal had been working in Italy when he saw her in a cafe being propositioned by an overzealous man. Coming to her rescue, he interrupted the eager advances of the other man, and claimed her as his wife. And so it began. Several looks, right words and charming personality lead her willingly astray.

Ms. Fantome doesn’t let our heroine off easily. She has a great deal of guilt and remorse. And her road in dealing with the affair was never easy.

Surprisingly to me, there were a couple of plot twists. One I suspected, the other I never saw coming. I did struggle at times with feeling like one of the twists was a little over the top, and had a difficult time seeing why the added drama was needed. It was almost like another book could have been written with that plot and I would have loved it, but when added in this story it felt a little disjointed and unneeded.

I would definitely recommend My Time in the Affair and I look forward to reading something from this author again!