Seduction Theory
On sale
14th August 2025
Price: £24.99
‘The most fun I have had with a novel in years‘ Megan Nolan
‘So emotionally honest, clever and sexy’ Charlotte Mendelson
‘By far and away my favourite book of the year – and probably next year, too’ Nathan Filer
What they were doing was not an affair because Ethan had never laid a hand on Abigail. But it also was, because leaving a department potluck to buy cigarettes was better than sex.
The long summer holiday has begun on the campus of Edwards University in upstate New York.
Simone is the star of the creative writing department, a renowned scholar, successful memoirist and campus sex icon.
Ethan, her devoted husband, is a lecturer in the same department, though he hasn’t published a novel since he was twenty-six.
Their marriage is long, strong and happy. But, over the course of that aggressively hot summer break, both will stray. And, as others become involved, new sides to the story of this apparently flawless marriage will emerge.
Deliciously smart and bitingly funny, Seduction Theory is a novel about love and betrayal, truth and fiction, power and attraction.
‘So classy, so cool and so funny‘ Naomi Wood
‘Funny, clever and beguiling‘ Lisa Owens
‘This summer’s smart, classy sun lounger read’ Georgina Moore
‘So emotionally honest, clever and sexy’ Charlotte Mendelson
‘By far and away my favourite book of the year – and probably next year, too’ Nathan Filer
Love and marriage – and infidelity. Seduction Theory is a smart, funny, delicious novel about a long marriage being derailed during a hot summer on a prestigious American campus.
What they were doing was not an affair because Ethan had never laid a hand on Abigail. But it also was, because leaving a department potluck to buy cigarettes was better than sex.
The long summer holiday has begun on the campus of Edwards University in upstate New York.
Simone is the star of the creative writing department, a renowned scholar, successful memoirist and campus sex icon.
Ethan, her devoted husband, is a lecturer in the same department, though he hasn’t published a novel since he was twenty-six.
Their marriage is long, strong and happy. But, over the course of that aggressively hot summer break, both will stray. And, as others become involved, new sides to the story of this apparently flawless marriage will emerge.
Deliciously smart and bitingly funny, Seduction Theory is a novel about love and betrayal, truth and fiction, power and attraction.
‘So classy, so cool and so funny‘ Naomi Wood
‘Funny, clever and beguiling‘ Lisa Owens
‘This summer’s smart, classy sun lounger read’ Georgina Moore
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Reviews
So classy, so cool and so funny. It's completely insightful about midlife and marriage, and propulsive too
Adrian's clear sighted, blistering prose leaves me out of breath. Seduction Theory nails the campus satire with savagery and grace
A deliriously smart, funny, sexy, page-turner, raising provocative questions about truth, desire, power, obsession, and what it really means to live a shared life
A ferociously clever, funny and compulsive read. Seduction Theory is an absolute gift of a novel, playing with form and expectation in the most exhilarating ways. It's by far and away my favourite book of the year - and probably next year, too
Seduction Theory is funny, clever and beguiling: Emily Adrian has written a hugely enjoyable, satisfying campus novel that somehow also subverts and invigorates the genre
So emotionally honest, clever, and sexy, I really enjoyed Seduction Theory
Pin-sharp and witty, Seduction Theory also has the twists and turns of a thriller. I ripped through the last ten pages holding my breath
I really loved Seduction Theory. A study of a marriage and a sharply observed campus novel, it had me chuckling away. David Lodge meets Charlotte Mendelson, with shades of Rachel Cusk, but with a style all Emily Adrian's own. This summer's smart, classy sun lounger read - you will LOVE it
The most fun I have had with a novel in years. Seduction Theory breathes new and mesmerising life into the campus novel and the marriage plot to produce a book so enjoyable that reading it felt almost decadent
Seduction Theory nails the campus satire with savagery and grace, and it's clear that Adrian is a major talent
With sparkling wit and striking formal ingenuity, Seduction Theory gives vibrant new life to the marriage-in-crisis novel. I was completely hooked from the first page