Seduction Theory

An MFA student reveals secrets about her writing professors’ marriage in Adrian’s clever if underwhelming latest (after The Second Season). The novel takes the form of a manuscript written by Robbie Green, a woman studying at Edwards University in Upstate New York, and it follows the story of tenured faculty member Simone, who’s well-known on campus for her sex appeal and her marriage to fellow professor Ethan. While Ethan is in Portland, Ore., visiting his mother, he sleeps with Abigail, the creative writing department’s secretary, who’s in town visiting her father. Meanwhile, unbeknownst to Ethan, Simone becomes intensely close with Robbie, as the two read Mrs. Dalloway and train for a marathon together. After Abigail emails Simone about her affair with Ethan, Simone holds the betrayal over Ethan’s head and withholds the truth of her “emotional affair” with Robbie. When Robbie joins Ethan’s workshop, she begins writing about their complicated foursome for her thesis. Adrian poses intriguing questions about the nature of betrayal, the blurry ethics of professor-student intimacy, and the right to tell another person’s story, but too often the narrative favors Robbie’s snarky barbs (“Abigail, who was not attractive but to whom Ethan was attracted”) over meaningful insights. This is a mixed bag. Agent: Susan Ginsburg, Writers House. (Aug.)