Indiscretion

Indiscretion
Charles Dubow

The Great Gatsby meets The Secret History in this torrid novel of love, lust and deception.Harry and Madeleine Winslow are blessed with talent, money, and charm. Harry is an award–winning author on the cusp of greatness. Madeleine is a woman of sublime beauty and grace whose elemental goodness belies a privileged upbringing. Bonded by deep devotion, their marriage is both envied and admired by friends who spend summers at their East Hampton idyll.When a holiday fling turns disastrously wrong, 26-year-old Claire falls into the Winslows’ welcoming orbit. They are enchanted by her youth and intelligence. In turn, Claire is entranced by Harry and Maddy. The love that exists between them is something of which, until now, she could only dream.Seen through the omniscient eyes of Maddy's childhood friend Walter, Indiscretion is a story about the complexities of love, the dangerous nature of desire and how obsession can tear apart even the most perfect of worlds.This ebook edition also contains an extended extract from Maggie Shipstead’s award-winning, New York Times bestseller, Seating Arrangements.

INDISCRETION

Charles Dubow

About the Book

‘Every story has a narrator. Someone who writes it down after it’s all over. Why am I the narrator of this story? I am because it is the story of my life—and of the people I love most …’

Harry and Madeleine Winslow are blessed with talent, money, and charm. Harry is an award–winning author on the cusp of greatness. Madeleine is a woman of sublime beauty and grace whose elemental goodness belies a privileged upbringing. Bonded by deep devotion, their marriage is both envied and admired by friends who spend summers at their East Hampton idyll.

When a holiday fling turns disastrously wrong, 26-year-old Claire falls into the Winslows’ welcoming orbit. They are enchanted by her youth and intelligence. In turn, Claire is entranced by Harry and Maddy. The love that exists between them is something of which, until now, she could only dream.

Seen through the omniscient eyes of Maddy’s childhood friend Walter, a narrator akin to Nick Carraway in The Great Gatsby, Indiscretion is a story about the complexities of love, the dangerous nature of desire and how obsession can tear apart even the most perfect of worlds.

Praise for Indiscretion

‘An epic novel of friendship, betrayal and undying love … outstanding’ Kirkus

‘An elegant début’ Publishers Weekly

‘Dubow has pulled off something remarkable: a finely tuned, perfectly pitched literary novel with the urgency of a tensely plotted thriller’ Chris Pavone, author of The Expats

‘Indiscretion richly delves into the complex permutations of love. Dubow writes with nuanced precision, and his characters are captivatingly real’ Kate Christenson, author of The Astral

About the Author

Charles Dubow was born in New York City and spent his summers at his family’s house on Georgica Pond in East Hampton (the primary setting for Indiscretion). He was educated at Wesleyan University and New York University. He has worked as a roustabout, a lumberjack, a sheepherder in New Zealand, a congressional aide and was a founding editor of Forbes.com and later an editor at Businessweek.com. He lives in New York City with his wife Melinda, children William and Lally, and a Labrador Retriever named Luke. Indiscretion is his first novel.

To Melinda

E cosi desio me mena

(And so desire carries me away)

PETRARCH

Great lovers lie in Hell …

JOHN CROWE RANSOM

Table of Contents

Title Page (#uc9441f93-26aa-55e7-9770-536d06de10a5)

About the Book (#ub01d8d25-2a83-54cb-ae20-1ae02947c619)

Praise for Indiscretion (#u01eac92a-b946-5af6-aee7-602962fab584)

About the Author (#ue0594ff8-e182-51a7-bd02-e3b354592c0e)

Dedication (#u686d1a80-29f4-51eb-87af-0d826c29a98a)

Epigraph (#u1a51cb24-c9e1-53d3-933a-dbb867b36096)

Prologue (#u9c2796ca-e6d4-5225-b567-d56fb455ca7a)

Summer (#u02e60889-26c5-5d8f-9b2f-667d3dd66c5b)

Chapter 1 (#u836987d8-5c07-581b-b7ae-000d75925130)

Chapter 2 (#ud4306c45-2dc9-5db6-bf6b-f66ea71508c8)

Chapter 3 (#u2fbc5282-ed20-5d1d-8d80-73c45d1560cb)

Chapter 4 (#u2f8c7549-f22f-5c6c-aae0-a64bd4d97770)

Chapter 5 (#ud770f59a-0cf6-5f04-8498-664d2c6dd9ea)

Chapter 6 (#uac65e045-30e0-50d3-9e44-bbc374b1d1ef)

Chapter 7 (#u20091634-c45a-5da4-bc58-99771cd77933)

Fall (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 1 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 2 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 3 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 4 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 5 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 6 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 7 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 8 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 9 (#litres_trial_promo)

Winter (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 1 (#litres_trial_promo)