disclosure: we were sent the item mentioned for the purpose of review
March saw the release of My Nemesis by Charmaine Craig, which was published through Grove Press and delves into friendships and how an intellectual affair impacts two couples.
In My Nemesis, we meet Tessa, a successful writer, her daughter Nora, and her second husband Milton. Tessa develops a friendship with Charlie, a philosophy scholar, firstly through correspondence and eventually in person. But the relationship doesn’t go down well with either Charlie’s wife, Wah, or their adopted daughter, Htet who was a victim of child trafficking before her adoption. Charlie is younger than Tessa, very handsome, and not happily married. He shares an intellectual connection with Tessa and sparks are starting to fly.
The novel is told purely from Tessa’s point of view who is retelling the account of the friendship to an unknown person. As the short novel progresses we hear about the rivalry that develops between Tessa and Wah, and their perceived roles as wives and mothers. We are challenged as readers to think about feminism and what makes someone a good or bad feminist as well as looking at the balance between love and pain, weakness and strength. It’s a thought-provoking book, but I couldn’t find Tessa a particularly likable character. She puts herself first and doesn’t seem able to recognise the differences of others as their strengths. She cannot relate to Wah, her feminine appearance, and what she deems to be submissiveness to her husband.
I struggled a little with My Nemesis, probably because I found Tessa so unlikeable, but at less than 200 pages, it’s worth sticking with it and making up your own opinion.
