I read this on my Kindle while listening to the Audible narrated so nicely by Julia Whelan (Carrie), George Newbern (David), James Daniels (Ken) and Dara Rosenberg (Janet). If you have an hour to spare on the joys and heartaches of marriage and friendship, this is an excellent way to spend it. Taylor Jenkins Reid told this story in such a unique way. It’s 1976, and Carrie Allsop just found letters from another woman to her husband. After reading them, she realizes they are having an affair and that the woman is married to a man named David. So she writes him a letter. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to Carrie and David’s relationship grow. The shared bond of pain and heartbreak can bring strangers together in unexpected ways. Conclusion:

What would you do if you found a letter from your husband’s mistress? Set in the 1970s, this entire short story is made up of letters, mostly between Carrie and David whose spouses are having an affair. It was in turns sweet, thoughtful and melancholy as Carrie and David grow closer through the shared pain of their rejection and self-doubts, but also angering as their spouses’ hidden lives and thoughts are brought to light. My only complaint was that Janet and Ken’s letters felt a little too fawning and high school crush-like at times. Overall, the story, though brief, felt complete and the ending, though part of it was unexpected, left me satisfied. I’m a short story skeptic most of the time, but this one is exceptional- but of course, so is the author. The repercussions of an illicit affair unfold in this short story by bestselling author Taylor Jenkins Reid.

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I love the premise of the story. A woman finds out her husband is having an affair; rather than confront him immediately, she gets in touch with the lady's husband and they start up a kind of pen-pal friendship, being a comfort to them both. After all, no one else in their lives knows just how it feels. I also like how the end of the story is kind of an "all's well that ends well" type of ending. People were still hurt; everyone still went through difficult things. What would you do if you found out your husband was having an affair? You found her letters to your husband, so the evidence is in your hands! Would you sit down, write a letter to her husband and 'spill the beans'? Well, that's what devastated wife Carrie Alsop did and she bravely mails the letter to David Mayer! Carrie wants to know if David, by chance, has found any letters written by her husband to his wife. If so, she would like them forwarded to her and if he would like the letters his wife wrote to her husband, she will send them to him, as well. This was a very frank and understanding look at human failings, served up to the reader in a very digestible and relatable format. And so begins an epistolary exchange between Carrie and David as they commiserate and lend support to one another about their cheating spouses over the next year and a half. Also shared with the reader are the letters between Janet and Ken, which reveal sides much different than what their spouses have believed them to be. With the widespread acclaim of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, it’s no surprise that thousands of people are wanting to explore more complex storytelling from author Taylor Jenkins Reid. Her most well-known works include:

Told entirely through the letters of two comforting strangers and those of two illicit lovers, Evidence of the Affair explores the complex nature of the heart. And ultimately, for one woman, how liberating it can be when it’s broken. In 1976, David receives a letter from Carrie shattering his illusion, hers has already been shattered, you see Carrie’s husband has been having an affair, and it looks like the person he is secretly seeing is Davids wife! Book Summary :The repercussions of an illicit affair unfold in this short story by bestselling author Taylor Jenkins Reid.Dear stranger…A desperate young woman in Southern California sits down to write a letter to a man she’s never met—a choice that will forever change both their lives.My heart goes out to you, David. Even though I do not know you…The correspondence between Carrie Allsop and David Mayer reveals, piece by piece, the painful details of a devastating affair between their spouses. With each commiserating scratch of the pen, they confess their fears and bare their souls. They share the bewilderment over how things went so wrong and come to wonder where to go from here.Told entirely through the letters of two comforting strangers and those of two illicit lovers, Evidence of the Affair explores the complex nature of the heart. And ultimately, for one woman, how liberating it can be when it’s broken. This little book could have been longer. I had questions at the end (as I always do) but I feel that TJR could have easily extended this narrative to provide more detail. Also, the wrap up felt a little unbelievable, but I don’t want to give away any spoilers.Evidence of the Affair is part of the Kindle Unlimited collection and includes WhisperSync for those who may prefer the audiobook format.

Honestly though: short stories are tough to pull off. The storyline has to be simple enough to contain an importance that lasts in Memory. In this sense, I cannot say that I had ever previously read one such story: the exchange of letters -- supplemented by the crisscrossing of other letters -- between Carrie and David, initiated by the former upon her discovering her husband Ken's letters of passion, sent by Janet, David's wife (as it turns out). The story itself as well as the epistolary exchange could have gone direly awry, I feel. And yet, it works. Astonishingly, simplicity works, yet again. (As does -- what I consider as -- the brilliant title.) It is as measured a simplicity as TJR could make it given the parameters posed by the storyline itself, as well as the short-story formal constraints. I cannot say that I particularly 'recognised' her prose, writing style, or vision in this story. It does not bother me: I find that short stories in particular allow for a character of their own making, and that is absolutely fine. In other words, I did not go into this expecting a TJR tour de force, and was not disappointed in the least. Allow me to say that I even found this peculiar enough to be pondering -- both while I was reading and after -- how inordinately strange the turns life takes can be. The extent to which we do depend on people in trying times. And how much drive for discovery there is in people. Audiobook Review I mostly listened to this book. Four narrators for four different characters was genius and each gave a heartfelt performance. The pacing, inflection and emotion were all on par and the voices reflected the respective characters nicely. In the short hour and 19 minutes it takes to listen to this audiobook, you could easily whip up my Evidence of the Affair chocolate mousse. It will make you cheat…… on your diet. 😉 I enjoyed the discussion between the main characters. We could see into the lovers' relationship and also the cheated person's life. This is a great idea, but it's a little more basic than I was hoping for from the author of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo.As the story unfolds, the letters reveal the complexities of their respective relationships and the toll the affair has taken on their lives. They navigate through a myriad of emotions, including anger, sadness, and moments of fleeting happiness as they find solace in their newfound connection. Evidence of the Affair by Taylor Jenkins Reid Narrated by Julia Whelan, George Newbern, James Daniels and Dara Rosenberg While romance elements are present in the story, “Evidence of the Affair” is more focused on exploring the emotional fallout of infidelity. As well as the journey of self-discovery and healing for the characters involved. It delves into themes of trust, forgiveness, and the complexities of human relationships. Does Evidence of the Affair have a happy ending? A desperate young woman in Southern California sits down to write a letter to a man she’s never met — a choice that will forever change both their lives.

The repercussions of an illicit affair unfold in this short story by bestselling author Taylor Jenkins Reid. Dear stranger… A desperate young woman in Southern California sits down to write a letter to a man she’s never met—a choice that will forever change both their lives. My heart goes out to you, David. Even though I do not know you… The correspondence between Carrie Allsop and David Mayer reveals, piece by piece, the painful details of a devastating affair between their spouses. With each commiserating scratch of the pen, they confess their fears and bare their souls. They share the bewilderment over how things went so wrong and come to wonder where to go from here. Told entirely through the letters of two comforting strangers and those of two illicit lovers, Evidence of the Affair explores the complex nature of the heart. And ultimately, for one woman, how liberating it can be when it’s broken. Evidence of the Affair by Taylor Jenkins Reid – eBook DetailsThe entire story is told through letters between Carrie and David as well as the letters they found from their spouses. It was done so well in both the audiobook and the book. In the audiobook, we had a different voice for each person’s letter, and in the book she used different fonts. It was so creative! David is a teacher in his thirties who has grayed early, and is constantly fretting about finances. He and his wife Janet have four children, and it's difficult providing for his family on the one income. Because it is told in letter form between Carrie and David we obviously only know what we have been told, other things that have happened you have to piece together. The epistolary story evolves from here to also include the letters exchanged by their spouses, revealing their thoughts and feelings as they continue with their marriages as though nothing was going on. I listened to the very short (1 hour, 19 minutes) audiobook of Evidence of the Affair by Taylor Jenkins Reid last month and I couldn’t believe what an interesting and cool story it was. I didn’t write the review right away, so I read the kindle version today to refresh my memory. I loved it both ways!