The Pretenders by Agatha Zaza

 

The Pretenders by Agatha Zaza.

Published in ebook 5th November 2020, and paperback 3rd December 2020, by Agora Books.

From the cover of the book:

‘I’m perfectly happy lying to myself...If it means getting to stay with you.’

Jasper is ready to surprise his brother; Holly is ready to celebrate their engagement.

Anne tags along for fear of missing out, and John might just be going for another drink. But Edmund and Ovidia had other plans for their Saturday.

Over the course of one day, these couples must own up to the secrets they’ve been hiding from one another and the lies they’ve been telling themselves. 

And face the devastating consequences.

Three couples. Two exes. One day. One reckoning.

In her debut novel, Agatha Zaza crafts a modern domestic tragedy simmering with betrayal and deceit.

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I was completely unprepared for the way this book would monopolise my day, but it was such compulsive reading that I was unable to tear my eyes away from the page once I had started reading it!

The story takes place over the course of one day, when the private tragedy of one couple is intruded on by friends and family intent on celebrating a new engagement. What ensues is a powder keg of a social gathering, stoked by the gradual uncovering of secrets, in which the three couples are forced to confront the reality of their relationships with their partners and each other, and acknowledge that they cannot pretend everything is ok any more.

This is the most claustrophobic and unrelenting family drama that draws you in, as the history, the innermost thoughts and the feelings of the players are slowly revealed. As the action plays out, their carefully crafted cover stories and deceits are dashed to pieces, and devastating truths are laid bare.

Of course, I am not going to reveal what these are, because it would deprive you of the delicious pleasure of finding them out yourselves, but some heavy themes are cleverly woven into the fabric of this story with a deft hand by our author.

Interestingly, I was stuck by echoes of Mike Leigh in these pages, especially since it is easy to imagine this novel playing out in a theatrical setting, but it's certainly not like any sort of party I would like to attend!

This is an incredible debut novel and easily one of the best family dramas I have read all year - be prepared to clear your calendar for the day, because I promise that you will not want to put it down. 

Watch out Sally Rooney and co. there is a new kid on the block. Agatha Zaza is definitely one to watch!

The Pretenders is available to order now from your favourite book retailer.

Thank you to Agatha Zaza and Agora Books for gifting me a copy of this book in return for an honest review, and to Peyton Stableford of Agora Books for inviting me to be part of this blog tour.

About the author:

Agatha Zaza is a Zambian and Finn at present living in Auckland, New Zealand. Her writing is a
departure from her work in fundraising and international development.

The Pretenders was born in Singapore, where she spent three years as a trailing spouse, where she rekindled a long-dormant love of writing. Aside from Singapore, Agatha has worked and lived several countries, among them Uganda and the then Soviet Union. While in Ireland, she earned a Master’s in
Equality Studies from University College Dublin and worked in a genuine Irish pub.

Agatha’s work can be seen in the Johannesburg Review of Books and in a PEN International special
edition on African writers. She has also published three short books on Amazon. 

She’s been a passionate slow runner for two and half decades and has recently taken up composting and staring at her new sewing machine.