THE MEANING OF LOVE

The Meaning of Love is a debut novel about one woman and two men, of desire, betrayal and devastating loss. But as Alexandra will tell you, it's mostly a story about love. This candid, sensual novel should appeal to those who enjoyed The Lemon Grove, Hausfrau and M L Stedman’s The Light Between the Oceans.

When Alexandra discovers that her husband Philippe is having an affair, she can’t believe he’d risk losing a love that has transformed both their lives following painful break-ups and a childhood tragedy that tore Alexandra’s family apart. What was he thinking?

Still in shock, Alexandra finds herself powerfully attracted to a much younger man who wants her and she doesn’t think at all. Jean-Luc is twenty-three, intense and magnetic. He’s also the son of Philippe’s best friend and the couple’s relationship with Henri and Geneviève Malavoine, all of them active in the Paris art scene, is already too close for comfort. At every turn, Alexandra is pulled deeper into a situation from which there can be no easy way out.

Isabel Costello read Modern Languages (French and German) at Oxford before moving to London where she lives with her husband and two teenage sons. She has a marketing and communications background having worked in economic development and European affairs in the City of London. Isabel hosts the Literary Sofa blog which features talented debut authors to NYT bestselling novelists. Her candid writing posts and twice-yearly selections of new fiction have attracted a committed audience (over 30,000 visitors a year). Isabel’s short fiction has been published in various anthologies and shortlisted in competitions including the inaugural Room to Write competition judged by Pat Barker and the Asham Award which inspired this novel. When not reading or writing she can often be found talking books on Twitter: @isabelcostello.