Worst Fears

Fay Weldon's stories are seductively wicked. Focusing on such contemporary foibles as sex, security, and society, she creates subtle, multi-faceted worlds with consummate ease. In Worst Fears, Weldon twists a tale of marital revenge into a sharp-edged novel of suspense, mystery, and black humor. While she is performing on the London stage, popular actress Alexandra Ludd learns that her husband has died unexpectedly in their country house. But when she gets home, she finds that the circumstances surrounding his apparent heart attack conflict with what she has been told. Contradictions abound: different times, different rooms, different company. While Alexandra's investigation uncovers more about her husband's life, she begins to dread the ominous implications. As Alexandra's worst fears brew darker, Fay Weldon raises questions about the extent to which one person can know and trust another. Fortunately, Weldon's characters are so offbeat that the listener can't help but laugh at the innocent industry with which these people go about their deceptions.