Book Review: "Devotion" by Madeline Stevens
“Devotion” by Madeline Stevens
Synopsis: Ella is flat broke: wasting away on bodega coffee, barely making rent, seducing the occasional strange man who might buy her dinner. Unexpectedly, an Upper East Side couple named Lonnie and James rescue her from her empty bank account, offering her a job as a nanny and ushering her into their moneyed world. Ella’s days are now spent tending to the baby in their elegant brownstone or on extravagant excursions with the family. Both women are just 26—but unlike Ella, Lonnie has a doting husband and son, unmistakable artistic talent, and old family money.
Ella is mesmerized by Lonnie’s girlish affection and disregard for the normal boundaries of friendship and marriage. Convinced there must be a secret behind Lonnie’s seemingly effortless life, Ella begins sifting through her belongings, meticulously cataloguing lipstick tubes and baby teeth and scraps of writing. All the while, Ella’s resentment grows, but so does an inexplicable and dizzying attraction. Soon Ella will be immersed so deeply in her cravings—for Lonnie’s lifestyle, her attention, her lovers—that she may never come up for air.
Riveting, propulsive, and startling, Devotion is a masterful debut novel where mismatched power collides with blinding desire, incinerating our perceptions of femininity, lust, and privilege.—HarperCollins
Rating (out of 5): 3.5
Review: Who doesn’t enjoy a book about a gold old toxic female friendship? While I didn’t find Devotion perfect, it was a solid read from an author I’m excited to see more from. My first problem with the book? A 26-year old ultra-rich mother of a toddler in New York City is so rare as to be a unicorn. I know that Lonnie’s youth is often referred to throughout the book, but 30 would have been young while still seeming more plausible. I get that that’s a small gripe, but still.
What I found very successful was the dynamic and power-play between Lonnie and Ella. With significant class differences, and the power imbalance resultant from Lonnie employing Ella, the complicated dynamics that ensued were compelling. A particularly good section occurs at a writer’s retreat where Lonnie implores Ella to switch places with her. Lonnie’s ignoring of social mores and pressing of boundaries is fascinating to see through Ella’s eyes.
The Upstairs/Downstairs quality that is explored when Ella leaves the UES to her shared apartment in Crown Heights, with a subplot about an infamous neighborhood serial murderer, does well in establishing the surreal thread that floats through Ella’s life—the fact that she seems to be mildly dissociating much of the time.
There are some Talented Mr. Ripley-esque psychosexual themes here, that come to a dramatic head near the end of the book. There isn’t a clear resolution, but one wouldn’t truly make sense for this book. Any disappointment that results from reading this might be due to expecting a thriller rather than a more literary read.
TL;DR: A pretty solid literary fiction debut. Definite Single White Female vibes.
If you liked this, try:
“The Talented Mr. Ripley” by Patricia Highsmith
“Social Creature” by Tara Burton (I haven’t read this but I’ve seen people draw parallels between these two!)
FYI: When you click links in this post to purchase a product, SFOL might get a cut of your purchase - it doesn’t add anything to the price for you. We promise. Thanks in advance!
