I had been married three years when I fell in love. Fell, collapsed, stepped off the kerb and found nothing but air. Oh, I already loved my husband of course, but this was different. That had been a decision; this was out of my control, an impulse as difficult to resist as gravity.
Kate and Cary are happily married, and considering starting a family. Their friends Cressida and Luke are similarly in love and content in their marriage. But when Kate and Luke recognise a growing attraction and then, impulsively, act on it, the world of both couples comes tumbling down. Their affair is secret, but places a strain on their marriages – and when Carey decides he wants a baby, and Cressida has a chance to work overseas, it becomes increasingly difficult to maintain the charade. When Cressida discovers the affair, it looks like both marriages will be over. Can things ever be the same?
After the Fall is an intriguing tale, told from multiple perspectives – with the four central characters each giving their first person perspective in alternating chapters, and occasional chapters from the perspective of a friend, Tim. This format, and the sequencing of its telling allows a dissection of the events leading up to the affair, the affair itself and the aftermath, with the reader allowed to see the perspective of all participants, though still able to build differing sympathies for the varying characters.
A fascinating read.
After the Fall, by Kylie Ladd
Allen & Unwin, 2009