Danielle Steel Examines Who Pays the Price for Infidelity in ‘The Affair’ [REVIEW]

After more than a decade together, she thought she knew him. She thought he loved her. But when she learns what he’s done, her whole world comes undone at the seams. What will she do next? And will she ever be able to reconstruct the ruin that is now her life? Find out in Danielle Steel’s compelling new novel, The Affair.

When Rose McCarthy meets with her team at Mode to discuss who will be on the cover of the fashion magazine’s biggest issue of the year, she is blindsided when one of her staff recommends putting ingénue Pascale Solon on the cover. After all, the young actress is gorgeous, is starring in a remarkable new film, and is having a scandalous affair with bestselling author Nicolas Bateau, who just so happens to be Rose’s son in law.

Nadia, a talented interior designer, has been living in France with Nicolas and their two young daughters for years, and Rose always thought they were the perfect couple. But ever since Nicolas and Pascale were splashed across the tabloids after being caught together in public at the Cannes Film Festival, Nadia has been reeling. An unwitting participant in one of the most publicized love triangles in recent memory, she tries to keep the truth from their children and figure out what to do next with her cheating husband, especially now that he and Pascale are going to have a baby.

When Nadia’s three sisters learn of the affair, they rally around their sister and fly to Paris from Los Angeles and New York to lend support and dole out their very different brands of advice. Athena is the jovial vegetarian celebrity chef who never has seen the need to get married or have kids. Olivia is the ultra-conservative superior court judge who thinks everyone should have to pay the ultimate price to atone for their sins. And Venetia is both a devoted mother and a high-spirited fashion designer who just wants to see her sisters happy. As much as Nadia appreciates their support, decisions about her life and the future of her marriage ultimately resides in her hands, and she must carefully consider what to do next.

With The Affair, Steel examines how an affair affects the couple involved, as well as the wife and children who are caught in the fray. She also reveals how the initial scandal shatters relationships among extended family and longtime friends, and how the aftershocks continue to have long-lasting effects for years to come. This is a book that proves that love is a living, breathing thing, and that it is far more resilient than we give it credit for.

Thoughtful, honest, and heartfelt, The Affair doesn’t get mired down in salacious, sordid details. Rather, it plumbs the depths of marriage, love, the unbreakable bonds of family, and the ultimate price of betrayal. This is a novel that makes us take a long hard look at our own hearts and ponder whether we make decisions based on what others think, or if we truly know ourselves well enough to act in our own best interests. Anyone who has ever been touched by an affair will see just how insightful this novel is, and will appreciate the lessons it teaches for years to come.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Danielle Steel has been hailed as one of the worlds bestselling authors, with almost a billion copies of her novels sold.

Her many international bestsellers include Neighbors, All That Glitters, Royal, Daddy’s Girls, The Wedding Dress, The Numbers Game, Moral Compass, and other highly acclaimed novels.

She is also the author of His Bright Light, the story of her son Nick Traina’s life and death; A Gift of Hope, a memoir of her work with the homeless; Expect a Miracle, a book of her favorite quotations for inspiration and comfort; Pure Joy, about the dogs she and her family have loved; and the children’s books Pretty Minnie in Paris and Pretty Minnie in Hollywood.

In 2002 Steel was decorated by the French government as an “Officier” of the distinguished Order of Arts and Letters and in 2014 was named “Chevalier” of the Légion d’Honneur, its highest honor. 

She is the mother of nine children and lives in Paris and San Francisco with her two Chihuahuas, Minnie and Blue.

For more information, visit her website at DanielleSteel.com and her blog at DanielleSteel.net, like her on Facebook, and follow her on Instagram and Twitter.

THE AFFAIR
By Danielle Steel
288 pp. Delacorte Press. $28.99.

Purchase The Affair direct from Jathan & Heather Books or from one of these other fine online retailers: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, Half Price Books, Hudson Booksellers, IndieBound, Powell’s, Target, or Walmart.