There are many elements in Julia May Jonas' debut novel “Vladimir” that make it such a tantalising and compelling read. In the story's prologue its unnamed fifty-something literature professor narrator casually mentions that she's staring at an unconscious Vladimir who she has tied to a chair. He is an extremely sexy forty year old husband, father, respected novelist and visiting professor who she's infatuated with. Naturally there's the thrilling tension throughout the novel as we wonder how things came to this point and what will happen after the “liminality” of this scene ends. The narrator herself is in a different kind of tense and uncertain position throughout the book. Her husband John who also teaches in the English department at her small university has been accused of misconduct after having a number of affairs with students over the decades. The narrator was aware of these dalliances but they have an open marriage. Now she's also come under the scrutiny of students and her fellow faculty. Some see her as a victim because she's a wife who has been cheated on by a disgraced husband. Others view her as a conspirator who enabled and permitted her husband's affairs. She patiently (with begrudging tolerance) listens to their concerns and points of view, but she absolutely believes that because the college students her husband slept with consented to the relationships there was nothing wrong with these affairs.
Throughout the novel we're thoroughly entrenched in the narrator's highly educated and convincing point of view – so much so that we can be lulled into a definite stance on issues to do with consent and questions concerning power dynamics in sexual relationships. But as the events of the story dramatically unfold these arguments and issues are revealed to be much more complicated. The narrator herself also unravels as her deeply-ingrained insecurities about ageing, beauty and status as a writer become apparent. This all filters into her desire for Vladimir who is experiencing his own sense of inner crisis despite superficially being a success. Matters are further complicated as we hear the voices of John and their adult daughter Sid who is scathing about her father's behaviour but in some ways mimics it. This all makes for a juicy novel filled with a lot of intrigue and it's a fascinating way to approach these topics. As the story is dominated by the narrator's point of view the slight shift at the end to consider the voices which have been conspicuously absent throughout the book make a big impact and left me with a lot to ponder.
