No death in this novel, thank goodness. Rhythm is a quietly gripping and disturbing story, very well told, of a complicated
love triangle that centres around Cara. Her husband Michael, a psychotherapist is a steady and loving partner, but Cara falls in love with the young and passionate Adrian, a drummer in an avante garde percussion band. Each character takes turns to narrate their story and to give their version of the entangled relationships. The emotional complications of their marriage and the growing love affair slowly develops until some
surprising truths are
revealed at the end. What we thought we knew and what they knew about themselves is revealed to be all deceit. The twist at the end isn''t totally unexpected, but Palmer still manages to keep the reader questioning whether any of the three characters are telling the complete truth in their narratives.
Rhythm is a simple and straight forward novel and comes as a relief after reviewing some of the other novels above. It is a surprisingly effective piece of writing - a chilling observation about love and obsession and the inadequacy of our understanding of ourselves and our partners.
It is just a little clever, pleasantly surprising and very readable.