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Content snapshot
Flag an inaccuracy →What's in this book, at a glance — five things readers want to know before they start.
Violence
Barely any
Mild; the death of the previous girlfriend haunts the novel
Language
Barely any
Mild language
Sexual Content
Barely any
Mild adult content; marriage and its intimacies
Substance Use
Barely any
Mild; social drinking
Emotional Intensity
A lot
Significant; jealousy, obsession with a dead rival, and the psychological complexity of being the second love in someone's life
What this book is about
Elizabeth Heathcote's literary debut novel follows a woman navigating marriage to a man whose previous serious girlfriend has recently died — and her growing obsession with understanding who that woman was and what she meant to him. Heathcote writes with precision about jealousy, identity, and the complicated grief of loving someone who loved someone before you.
Notes for sensitive readers
Reader-flagged moments and themes that may affect your experience.
Obsession with deceased person
Psychological intensity
Reader Verification
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