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Double fault

Lionel Shriver

1997317 pagesabout 5–7 hours
1997
first published
  • 1997Doubleday · 317 pages · ENGISBN 9780385488303
  • 2007W.F. Howes Ltd. · 466 pages · ENGISBN 9781407401089
  • 2009Harper Perennial · ENGISBN 9780061711381
  • 2009HarperCollins · ENGISBN 9780061802966
  • 2012Serpent's Tail · 342 pages · ENGISBN 9781846688478
  • 2017HarperCollins Publishers Limited · ENGISBN 9780008209773
  • 2006Serpent's Tail · 342 pages · ENGISBN 9781852429119
  • 2007Serpent's Tail · 352 pagesISBN 9781852424909

Tennis has been Willy Novinsky's one love ever since she first picked up a racquet at the age of four. A middle-ranked pro at twenty-three, she's met her match in Eric Oberdorf, a low-ranked, untested Princeton grad who also intends to make his mark on the international tennis circuit. Eric becomes Willy's first passion off the court, and eventually they marry. But while wedded life begins well, full-tilt competition soon puts a strain on their relationship—and an unexpected accident sends driven and gifted Willy sliding irrevocably toward resentment, tragedy, and despair.From acclaimed author Lionel Shriver comes a brilliant and unflinching novel about the devastating cost of prizing achievement over love.

How it reads

Character focusTwo hander

Worth knowing

Romance levelCentralSubplot

When and where

ThemesLove
How do you feel?