AFTER THE FALL

Ladd, a neuropsychologist who makes her home in Australia, takes on adultery and its consequences in this accomplished debut novel about a successful circle of young Melbourne residents and the collapse of their relationships.

Kate, an anthropologist with a zest for living fearlessly, meets slightly stoic Cary at the racetrack. The two share an impromptu picnic in the rain, but then Cary, a genetic researcher, confuses Kate by not turning into an overeager suitor. Eventually Kate takes the initiative and the two marry. Meanwhile, another couple—the gorgeous Cressida and her golden boy, Luke—also make it down the aisle. Unlike Kate, Cress is a virgin when Luke, the ladies’ man, enters the picture. He pursues Cress, a pediatric oncologist in a family brimming with doctors, because she is the most beautiful woman he has ever seen. With their stunning blond looks, the couple turns heads wherever they go. One of the heads that Luke turns is Kate’s; she and Cary, who works at the same hospital as Cress, become friends with Luke and Cress, but at a wedding Luke and Kate share a very public kiss that ignites a passion strong enough to consume all four. Meanwhile, Cress mourns the decline of a young patient, while Cary pushes Kate for a child. The book is told from multiple perspectives, in lush, often beautiful prose. Ladd employs one too many similes, but that’s a minor flaw in a promising work.

Vivid language makes each page a joy to read.