Hi all,
I’m looking for literary fiction about how a past unequal or asymmetric relationship can affect later relationships.
For example: a young adult(!) woman once had a relationship or affair with a much older, powerful, wealthy, famous, or socially dominant man, and that past relationship keeps echoing into a later, more equal relationship. I’m interested in themes like secrecy, partial disclosure, idealization of the former partner, shame, defensive narratives, jealousy, comparison, and the later partner trying to understand what really happened and what it still means.
I’d be especially interested in books told from the later partner’s perspective, say reflective, maybe unreliable or self-questioning, aware that jealousy and insecurity may distort his own view. And how this "arena" evolves.
Not looking for simple melodrama or romance, but psychologically serious literary fiction about memory, power, self-deception, and how the past remains active in the present.
Any suggestion is greatly appreciated! Many thanks in advance.
by Ok_Compote_3129