The Temporary Av Rachel Cusk

<p><b>''<i>The Temporary</i> would be worth reading for its self-regarding, utterly thoughtless heroine alone.''</b> <i>Financial Times</i><br><b>''An exquisitely written gem.'' </b><i>Vogue</i><br><b>''The wit, dialogue and the uncomfortable perception brought to bear on human relations make <i>The Temporary</i> such a fine achievement.'' </b><i>Spectator</i><br><br>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. <i>The Temporary </i>paints a merciless portrait of the cut and thrust of modern romance, work and life.</p>