The Infatuations by Javier Marias

The Infatuations

Javier Marias

The story is seen through the eyes of Maria Dolz who unwittingly becomes entangled in a web of love, infatuation, death and grief. A darker twist on the conventional ‘boy meets girl’ storyline, this is in turns a love story whilst dipping a toe into the crime genre. The expressive language and long-flowing sentences mirror the steady plot and passionate characters. This intriguing story captivated me from the start but frustrated me at the end!

Extract
In just a few sentences, Diaz-Varela had dismissed and demeaned my feelings and revealed his, piercing me with a small, entirely unnecessary barb, for I already knew how he felt despite never having heard him speak so clearly on the subject, and certainly not in such wounding terms. However idiotic they might be, and all feelings are idiotic as soon as you describe or explain or simply give voice to them, he had deemed mine to be far inferior in quality to his feelings for another person.
Parallels
  • Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
  • Gillespie and I by Jane Harris
  • The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters