The Temporary

''The Temporary would be worth reading for its self-regarding, utterly thoughtless heroine alone.'' Financial Times
''An exquisitely written gem.'' Vogue
''The wit, dialogue and the uncomfortable perception brought to bear on human relations make The Temporary such a fine achievement.'' Spectator
Ralph Loman works in an unsatisfying job, for a free London newspaper, when Francine Snaith, a temporary secretary for a corporate finance firm, unexpectedly crosses his path at a party. Her beauty ignites a blaze of excitement in his troubled heart. But Francine is ravenous for attention, driven by a thirst for conquest, and when Ralph tries politely to extricate himself, he finds he is bound by chains of consequence from which it seems there is no escape. The Temporary paints a merciless portrait of the cut and thrust of modern romance, work and life.

Rachel Cusk