Domestic Affairs

Childhood friends, Abigail and Lila, are torn apart by a betrayal that leaves them each damaged in different ways for years to come. Abigail, the daughter of the family housekeeper, strives to achieve something with her life, and after many years of struggle, she becomes a household name...a diva of domesticity...a brand name. Her family life appears perfect, just like her domestic goddess kingdom, but underneath, more secrets and betrayals lurk. Lila, worlds apart from Abigail in the beginning, as the daughter of a rich family, seemingly continues on this path, ending up with her handsome husband, beautiful Park Avenue apartment, and loving son. Then, with one brutal stroke of luck---or karma---it is all taken away, and she is forced to seek employment just to sustain herself and her son. Which is why she finds herself, after numerous rejections, on the doorstep of her former friend. When Abigail offers Lila a job as her housekeeper, it would seem like vengeance, or some kind of karmic justice. Meanwhile, Lila's twin brother Vaughn, a world traveler and Abigail's teenage lover comes home with devastating news of his own. The scene is set for drama, but everything seemingly spins out of control when a woman from Mexico begins wending her way to New York to avenge her daughter's death. A factory fire took the life of Concepcion's daughter, Milagros, which Concepcion believes is the direct result of Abigail's negligence. Will the secrets and betrayals of the past finally come home to roost? Will Abigail and Lila ever restore the bond they once shared? What is going on with Abigail's teenage daughter, and will her strange, obsessive preoccupation with Lila's son turn into something even more troubling? And finally, what culminating events will bring all of the characters together or forever tear them asunder? An intriguing read, Domestic Affairs, a story of domestic drama, truly transcends the "domestic" to become a sweeping emotional tale of lives derailed and family secrets revealed.

Revenge is suppose to be sweet, right? "Domestic Affairs" is the story of two childhood friends who cease their friendship as a result of family conflicts. Abigail was left penniless, while Lila continued her life of luxury. Decades later, tides turned, and it was Lila who was penniless, and Abigail well off from her life of hard work. Lila begs Abigail for assistance; but their re-entrance into each other's lives does not happen without consequences. A gripping tale about the morality of revenge, the complexity of life, and friendship, "Domestic Affairs" is a highly recommended read for anyone looking for a story with these elements done well.

My Review of DOMESTIC AFFAIRS by Eileen Goudge Submitted by Karen Haney, August, 2008 RATING: 5 STARS For Eileen Goudge to write a novel better than Woman in Red is something I never saw coming until I opened to the first page of this remarkable book. Nevertheless, in Domestic Affairs, Goudge has done just that! She brings us a love story on so many levels that it grabs you in the beginning and never lets go until the last page. First and foremost, this love story is about friends-and how although their friendship definitely is a roller coaster over time, it never loses its effect on the lives of the people it touches, nor the reader. It is also about how only a deep friendship like this can change people's lives forever especially when secrets shared in that relationship remain unspoken for years. The story starts with the friendship and alliance of Abigail Armstrong with Lila and her brother, Vaughn, Meriwhether. These three grow up from children to teens, sharing what at a certain point is essentially too much to share. These secrets they share will direct the paths their lives take as they are torn apart in their youth, but then brings them back together later as adults. When Abby's mother, the housekeeper for Lila and Vaughn's family is unceremoniously fired and chased from the only home Abby has ever known, horrific feelings and secrets go with Abby and her mother, Rosalie, as they leave the Meriwhether estate. Fast forward twenty-five years and the proverbial shoe is on the other foot as Lila, once a high member of New York society, is brought down by the results of her husband's illegal actions. When he cowardly commits suicide rather than take his punishment, Lila's life falls apart. She is a pariah to those she once courted and was courted by. She is left without anything and the only work she could take on was if someone wanted a socialite to run a party. With not much call for that "skill", in an ironic twist, Lila is saved when she is hired to be a housekeeper in the now very successful, Martha Stewart-like, media maven, Abigail Armstrong. While this NEW Abby now will only deal decently with her housekeeper, in memory of her now deceased mother, she is quite the opposite in the business world. A sharp tongue and iron fist enables Abigail to run a top-notch business, while trying to still hold on to her husband and family. When Lila becomes her housekeeper, the revenge should be sweet, but is it? Into this duo, a third important female character, Concepcion Delgado, enters. As a mother who wants to revenge her daughter's tragic death at what she believes is caused by Abby's company and how it runs its "sweatshops" she is on a mission to confront the people responsible. The cost of producing inexpensive while highly desirable linens is too much when Concepcion's daughter pays the price with her life. Concepcion travels to find the driven leader of this company that she feels took her child from her. As these three very differen

What kind of doors open to those whose choices stem from betrayal and revenge? Can one mentally lock those gates to close the ensuing destructive cycle? Even though readers rationally know the memories hiding in Pandora's box are best left imprisoned in a locked part of our psyche, why are we so fascinated by the exciting, unpredictable chain of events loosed when past, shameful acts are allowed to become a part of the present? Abigail's mother is a housekeeper for the Meriwhether family who seduces Mr. Meriwhether in order to keep him from straying out of the family. It's an act that has repercussions beyond imagination as Mrs. Meriwhether fires the seemingly innocent housekeeper. The worst part of it is that Lila Meriwhether, Abigail's best childhood friend, does absolutely nothing to help prevent Abigail and her mother being turned out into economic poverty and struggle. Lila's brother, with whom Abigail had one blissful romantic union, has been supportive by mail in the years since that terrible separation. But Lila and Abigail are consumed by their respective shame and fury surrounding that terrible day. Both Lila and Abigail have become rich, the former by marriage to a successful financier and the latter by hard work as a renowned Martha Stewart-type entrepreneur. Lila, however, through tragic, unforeseen events, is transformed from a stylish socialite to a penniless, unskilled woman needing to find employment yesterday. She is finally brought to seeking that job from Abigail, who hires Lila in a burst of convenience as a housekeeper. Will such a debasement of Lila provide Abigail the satisfaction she seeks for revenge or is there a different spin that forms from this unlikely scenario? Domestic Affairs abounds with unhappy people, including Abigail, her husband and sulking daughter, Lila and her fuming son, a warmhearted Afghani gardener who becomes a more than helpful companion to Lila, and a fierce Latin American mother determined to find justice for her daughter's death at the hands of Abigail's factory manager's rules. The interplay between these satisfying characters is unpredictable and the outcome for all is cleverly constructed and quite surprising, without seeming contrived or naive. Domestic Affairs is a fine, fine read that exemplifies the possibility of hope in the face of even the most dire circumstances! Reviewed by Viviane Crystal on August 2, 2008

i am a big fan of ms goudge and Domestic Affairs is one of her best. there is a lot going on and many people to love, hate or identify with. i enjoyed it from cover to cover. the epiloge was a nice surprise and added a great ending to an already great book