#BlogTour ‘The Pretenders’ by Agatha Zaza

About the book…

‘I’m perfectly happy lying to myself…If it means getting to stay with you.’

Jasper is ready to surprise his brother; Holly is ready to celebrate their engagement.

Anne tags along for fear of missing out, and John might just be going for another drink.

But Edmund and Ovidia had other plans for their Saturday.

Over the course of one day, these couples must own up to the secrets they’ve been hiding from one another and the lies they’ve been telling themselves. And face the devastating consequences.

Three couples. Two exes. One day. One reckoning.

In her debut novel, Agatha Zaza crafts a modern domestic tragedy simmering with betrayal and deceit.

Many thanks to Peyton Stableford from Agora Books for inviting me on the blog tour for ‘The Pretenders’ by Agatha Zaza which is out, from 5th November in ebook and 3rd December in paperback, at all good book stores!

Agora has produced some absolutely brilliant books this year, ‘The Pretenders’ alongside ‘Monstrous Souls’ are definitely in the top books of the year for me. It’s a book which I can imagine being turned into a movie, it has such depth and soul as 6 people meet in one house where they then proceed to untangle how their lives have interconnected. It takes a day like this, where Edmund and Odivia are exposed as having had a relationship for years, a relationship which has lasted for years yet been kept from all their families. But why? A day when Jasper, Edmund’s brother, and Holly are announcing their engagement. So why isn’t everyone over the moon for them? Jasper’s best friend John and wife Anne are having a rare night off from their children and their work, so why can’t they fully throw themselves into being happy?

If the engagement is a fun fair, then the glass extension of the house which Agatha takes pains to describe, is a hall of mirrors as accusations, truths and lies are ricochetting off every reflective surface bounicng back again and again until the 6 find the exit.

Layers are peeled away as the artifice and carefully sustained personas reveal what is behind their appearance. These lives of perceived privilege are reflected in the architecture of Edmund’s house which is richly detailed in contrast to their empty lives. As the book progresses, the initial effect of luxury and privilege is moved aside by the little details-the remodelling which has taken back the Victorian building and made it look more modern has only sufficed to make it more impersonal. The immaculate bathroom has fusty smelling towels from non use. The sparkling floors which aren’t clean into the corners, the detritus under the settee cushions all have a purpose in reflecting how deep down, the rot is there.

The issues which are discussed are dark, deeply traumatic and cannot be easily brushed aside or renovated. From the very start, where Edmund is symbolically destroying an outbuilding in his garden to the devastating last line, this is a deeply personal, resonant novel which completely side swiped me as a reader. I would absolutely encourage anyone who loves a great story, well told, to read it. If I had any comment to add, I would say that as a debut novel, it is astonishly bold.

About the author….

Agatha Zaza is a Zambian and Finn at present living in Auckland, New Zealand. Her writing is a departure from her work in fundraising and international development.

The Pretenders was born in Singapore, where she spent three years as a trailing spouse, where she rekindled a long-dormant love of writing. Aside from Singapore, Agatha has worked and lived several countries, among them Uganda and in the then Soviet Union. While in Ireland, she earned a Master’s in Equality Studies from University College Dublin and worked in a genuine Irish pub.

Agatha’s work can be seen in the Johannesburg Review of Books and in a PEN International special edition on African writers. She has also published three short books on Amazon. She’s been a passionate slow runner for two and half decades and has recently given up composting.

Twitter @AgoraBooksLDN @agatha_zaza