This was another of 'those' novels that I just HAD to have, which then lay tantalisingly on my shelf waiting to be read. I managed to rescue it yesterday* when I was moving one pile of books to a new bookcase; I now feel breathless having just this minute finished it.
Exquisite is just full of...well, exquisiteness. . This relationship between successful author Bo and aspiring writer Alice, is a dark tale of infatuation, love and danger. It's packed with this nervous tension that had me wondering just who was the inmate of HMP for Women Yorkshire. I was unsure which narrator I believed for the first part of the book, which meant that my nerves were pretty much frayed deciding who was the one pushing the relationship forward at an unnervingly speedy pace. It felt quite hedonistic and like I was spying on this great love affair that could never have a happy ending for everyone involved. And the level of dangerous infatuation was stifling in its obsession; I never knew where it was going or how it was going to end.
I knew Exquisite was going to be good of course (coming from the amazing Orenda Books), but my expectations were somewhat surpassed as I didn't quite grasp just how good it was going to be!
If you haven't read this yet, if it's lurking on your TBR pile like mine, please dig it out and give it a read. It's fabulous.
- This is a somewhat delayed posting, I apologise - it's like there's never enough time to do everything!!
