Rhiannon Johnson's Reviews > The Deceptions

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.






If I could give this six stars, I would.

"Something terrible has happened and I don't know what to do."

I don't remember the last time I highlighted so many passages in a book. I was intrigued from the first page, but not quite sure where the story was going for a large majority of the first half. The unnamed narrator is struggling in her personal life. Her marriage is strained, her son is not thriving at college, and her mother has dementia. Her professional life is filled with misogynistic coworkers and she is constantly editing her upcoming book, The Rape of the Swan, which she describes as "an exploration of motherhood, monogamy, and survival mirrored through the lens of two swans I observed for two years in the lake in Central Park." Her constant hard work and feelings of guilt for her ambition are juxtaposed against The Visiting Poet, whose professional road is paved for him (he has been given a space in his publisher's upcoming release schedule, despite not even having a book.) As the narrator seeks solace at museums, losing herself in the great stories of history and mythology, readers learn more about her life and "the terrible thing." The second half of the book winds up the tension, but this ending. I will just say that it was a rollercoaster and I LOVED it! A solid contender for my Best Book of 2022.

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