A review by saltygalreads
The Continental Affair by Christine Mangan

3.0

Summary: Henri and Louise are two strangers whose paths cross very unpredictably in Spain during the 1960s at the Alhambra. From there, the two play a sly game of cat and mouse from the Sierra Nevada mountains all the way to Turkey, both trying to escape their terrible memories and the consequences of their own past misdeeds.

Thoughts: It is difficult to say much about this novel without introducing spoilers. I can say that this is less a mystery than it is a work of literary fiction. The novel explores the complex characters of Henri and Louise, their many deceptions and damaging family backgrounds, while vividly depicting the landscapes that the two characters traverse. It is atmospheric and lyrical, but there is no real mystery here. I will note however that the author used a phrase that I deplore on three separate occasions in the novel: “let out a breath he/she didn’t know he/she was holding”, etc. etc.

If you are a fan of period literary fiction then this might be for you. I cannot say that it made a huge impression on me however.