Seduction Theory

A Novel

By: Emily Adrian

Narrated by: Jennifer Pickens

When two married professors tiptoe toward infidelity, their transgressions are brought to light in a graduate student’s searing thesis project.

Simone is the star of Edwards University’s creative writing department: renowned Woolf scholar, grief memoirist, and campus sex icon. Her less glamorous and ostensibly devoted husband, Ethan, is a forgotten novelist and lecturer in the same department. According to Simone and Ethan, and everyone on campus, their marriage is perfect. That is, until Ethan sleeps with the department administrative assistant, Abigail, and the couple’s faith in their flawless relationship is rattled.

Simone, meanwhile, has secrets of her own. While Ethan’s away for the summer, she grows inordinately close with her advisee, graduate student Roberta “Robbie” Green. In Robbie, Simone finds a new running partner, confidante, and disciple—or so she believes. Behind Simone’s back, Robbie fictionalizes her mentor’s marriage in a breathtakingly invasive MFA thesis. Determined to tell her version of the story, Robbie paints a revealing portrait of Simone, Ethan, Abigail, and even herself, scratching at the very surface of what may—or may not—be the truth.

Simultaneously provocative and tender, Seduction Theory exposes the intoxicating nature of power and attraction, and is a masterful demonstration of how love and betrayal can coexist

Critic reviews

“Adrian’s clear sighted, blistering prose always leaves me out of breath, nervously laughing and turning the page, excited and a little scared by what she's going to say next. Seduction Theory nails the campus satire with savagery and grace, and it’s clear that Adrian is a major talent."—Rufi Thorpe, author of The Knockout Queen and Margo's Got Money Troubles

"Seduction Theory is a deliriously smart, funny, sexy, page-turner in which Emily Adrian upcycles the postmodern love triangle plot into a novel of ideas. Her wayward academics raise provocative questions about truth, desire, power, obsession, and what it really means to live a shared life. There are welcome resonances with novels such as Andrew Martin’s Early Work and Christine Smallwood’s The Life of the Mind, with enough Nabokov in the mix to keep you on your toes to the last page, at which point you’ll likely do what I did: let out a shocked and gleeful scream."—Justin Taylor, author of Reboot

"With sparkling wit and striking formal ingenuity, Emily Adrian's Seduction Theory gives vibrant new life to the marriage-in-crisis novel. I was completely hooked from the first page, and couldn't sleep until I finished it."—Andrew Martin, author of Early Work

"A ferociously clever, funny and compulsive read. Seduction Theory is an absolute gift of a novel, playing with form and expectation in the most exhilarating ways. It's by far and away my favorite book of the year - and probably next year, too."—Nathan Filer, author of The Shock of the Fall

"So emotionally honest, clever, and sexy, I really enjoyed Seduction Theory." —Charlotte Mendelson, author of Wife and The Exhibitionist

“Emily Adrian's Seduction Theory is so classy, so cool and so funny. You'll pick it up and find yourself five hours later putting it down finished. It's completely insightful about midlife and marriage, and propulsive too.”—Naomi Wood, author of Mrs. Hemingway

I was seduced by Seduction Theory!

I really enjoyed this book. The story centers around Simone and Ethan, a married couple together 20 years, both writers and professors of writing in the same college. They are loudly and voraciously sexual (be prepared for a number of sex scenes) and seemingly a devoted and well-matched couple. Enter a new, alluring person for each of them... and that's where I'll stop. This novel has many attributes: big issues, a good plot, a short book, plus a point-of-view structure that keep you guessing.

Qualified text

Great book! Real page turner. I really liked the theme and the characters. Great endings as well. Nice recording, great interpretation of the reader.

Did not get the raves

This felt indulgent and stilted to me. A writer writing about writers is…well…just not that interesting. I wanted it to be better.

First gay smut was just what I wanted

Mostly tension, little sexual action. Much hotter that way. Wish there was more. Very romantic and beautiful in the way the author describes it. The unreliable narrator it’s fantastic.

Uniquely Crafted Work of Art

Pure BRILLIANCE! Just enjoyed immeasurably the way this story was crafted! Unique storyline in the way it was told!

Clever Story But Do I Care?

I remained mildly interested throughout and at times amused by the satirical depiction of academics and authors. But I couldn’t see behind the curtain enough to understand the reason for the affairs or retaliation, so I didn’t end up caring a lot about the people doing these things. Ironically, the satire turned into pedantic pedagogy for me.

Clever!

You've read this campus novel before. You've experienced this experimental style before. But it's really nicely done. The characters are compelling. It's funny when it needs to be. Some of the sentences are wonderful. It's a tight story that doesn't wear out its welcome.

warm New York Times review; adjust expectations

I think the positive review in NYTBR did this book no favors. I see it's categorized here as genre fiction, which is more apt. The characters are writers and professors, yes, and the author probably did attend an MFA program and knows whereof she speaks. But. This book isn't written in a style or with a plot that distinguishes it from been-there-first books like Vladimir and even Wonder Boys. Consider it not literature but fun genre fiction, like a romance novel that tells you what you already know about people in love--this is people lusting for each other in the small pond of a university program. It's not bad. It's just not great literature.

An unexpected ending

I loved the fact that the love story was wove into a master thesis; however, the story ending was…unexpected. Otherwise, great performance and storyline.

Awful main character

Well that was a horrible book. I could make a list and just not stop with all the lack of research. My favorite worst line was the gen x secretary who was “proud of her drivers license” because she drove aggressively?! What?! That’s some gen z nonsense. And that was without the ridiculous take on academia with the shallow reviewer 2 joke that could’ve come from Reddit or the faculty party or the apartment…the way the author assumes that beauty would matter at all for a faculty member amongst her peers? Anyways worst book I’ve read in a long time. BOTM did me dirty and I hope I never come across this novelist again.