My Lover's Lover

 

My Lover's Lover by Maggie O'Farrell

Fiction

2002

Finished on August 5, 2025

Rating: 4/5 (Very Good)

Publisher's Blurb:

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Marriage Portrait and Hamnet comes an intense, unnerving and passionate story of betrayal, loss and love, with all the frisson and psychological intensity of Rebecca.

When Lily moves into new boyfriend Marcus's apartment and plunges headlong into their relationship, she must contend with an intangible, hostile presence—Marcus’s ex-girlfriend, Sinead. As Lily and Marcus become more deeply involved, Lily becomes obsessed with Sinead's fate and thinks she sees her everywhere. She must question not only her sanity, but whether the man she loves is someone she can, or should, be with at all.

I have now read seven of Maggie O'Farrell's novels, and while My Lover's Lover may not be my favorite, I certainly enjoyed reading it. The plot wasn't as confusing as those in some of her other novels, which tend to have alternating timelines with multiple points of view. This one did have flashbacks, but it was easy to keep track of the characters and their individual stories. That is not always the case with O'Farrell's books.

My Lover's Lover has creepy elements that gave it a ghost story feel, and it also brought to mind the obsessive and calculating nature of The Talented Mr. Ripley. It's not one I'll read again, but I did enjoy it, and find myself thinking about the characters. It would make a good movie!