Teddy by Emily Dunlay:

In late 1969, America, Teddy Huntley is an art student.  She’s also desired by men.  She marries a government official, moves to an Italy and becomes involved in a conspiracy where her own past unravels as quickly as a possible future could be revealed.  

It’s a delicious premise, the right side of trashy, with a political edge for those looking for a serious read.  However, it falls somewhere between the two and feels a somewhat elusive, allusive work of fiction.  There’s enough to produce a bright, engaging character - Teddy is matter of fact in her narration of her sex life as much as she is about modern art.  See also, the grimy, but glamorous backdrop of 1960’s Italy.  

But that imagined timeline, where Teddy’s nemesis is not the men who see her as disposable - but the ex-Cowboy actor, planning to run for President in 1976 - doesn’t seem explored as fully as it could be.  The overarching narrative nods to both Me Too and the current tyre fire that is American politics and the pieces of the novel didn’t really gel for me, but in age where nostalgia isn’t what it used to be, some may find the past as contemporary as the present.  It’s published by 4th Estate on  2nd July and I thank them for a preview copy.