Short takes: Paperbacks

Reviewed by MARGIE THOMSON

Maggie O'Farrell: My Lover's Lover

Lily moves into Marcus' flat and quickly finds herself not only sexually involved with her new flatmate, but in the grip of obsession - with Marcus himself, and also with Marcus' former lover Sinead. She has disappeared in mysterious circumstances, leaving only a dress hanging in the wardrobe and a lingering odour of jasmine. While at heart this is an urban romance, it's themed around the connection and curiosity we often feel towards our partner's ex-lovers - a curiosity, we see here, that can turn into something much darker. O'Farrell also plays with the supernatural - Lily starts to see her precursor in corners of the flat, and in the streets of London. It's all very unsettling. Another flatmate, Aidan, clearly disapproves of Lily's involvement with Marcus, and Lily herself begins to wonder whether she should love this man.

Review, $24.99

* * *

Jane Stevenson: The Pretender

This is the second volume of what will eventually be a trilogy, so you can either go back and read the first volume, Astraea, the story of the illicit romance between Elizabeth of Bohemia, daughter of James I of England, and an exiled African prince, or simply begin with this one, which stands alone with perfect ease, and is the story of the illegitimate son of that union, Balthasar van Overmeer, a medical doctor in the 17th century. Sounds a bit breathily over-romantic, you might think, but actually Stevenson writes really pretty good historical novels and, if anything, it's the hero's coolness that's the let-down. The historical detail is excellent - atmospheric, vivid - and themes include plague, religion, war and, of course, race and the burgeoning slave trade. Aphra Behn, an English intelligence agent and playwright befriended by Balthasar, is a terrific character with a wretched life - she actually lived, and Stevenson insists the events that befall her in this novel really happened.

Vintage, $26.95

* * *

David Davidar: The House of Blue Mangoes

Out in a new paperback edition, this story of three generations of a family in the south Indian village of Chavathar is a hugely ambitious, wonderfully colourful work. It teems with characters, encompasses violent caste conflict, the struggle for independence and all the enormous political and social change that India underwent in the first half of the twentieth century. Davidar is an excellent storyteller, and obviously takes huge delight in the little details of his characters' lives - the making of a cup of tea, or the perfect biryani, for instance - that help to make this such a sensuously human story. Weighty, superb.

Phoenix, $24.99

* * *

Jane Jakeman: In the Kingdom of Mists

Monet, old now and celebrated, returns to London to paint his famous Thames sequence, and to reflect upon his life. As he paints, however, a string of grizzly, Ripper-like murders happen along the banks of the Thames, and a police investigation begins. At the same time, something appalling is going on in the same hotel in which Monet is staying, and in the backstreet slums of Lambeth. This is a taut, psychological thriller with a difference. Jakeman writes intelligently about art and artists, and includes 12 colour reproductions of Monet's paintings. Extremely readable and atmospheric.

Black Swan, $26.95

* * *

Will Davenport: The Painter

Rembrandt, ageing now and fallen from grace, is chased by debtors and hides on board a ship, only to have the ship cast anchor and head for Hull, of all places. Discovered, Rembrandt agrees to paint the captain in return for his passage, and on reaching Hull gets a pleasant surprise: the captain's wife is beautiful and captivating, and the old seducer decides to paint her as well. Things, however do not go as planned: the wife is stroppier than Rembrandt had bargained for, and he has a rival for her affections, the poet and local MP, Andrew Marvell. Alternating with this story is one set in our own times, of another painter who, undertaking some restoration work, uncovers this story of long ago. Entertaining, wittily written and compulsive. Did Rembrandt really visit Hull? Maybe, maybe not, but it makes a good story.

HarperCollins, $24.99