Review: The Rayburn Affair by Laurie Petrou

The Rayburn Affair by Laurie Petrou

Blurb from Goodreads:

Art, ambition and desire collide when a struggling academic becomes entangled in the life and marriage of her literary idol.

By day, Dr Ruth Morgan lectures on ‘ the new frontier of storytelling’ at East Toronto University. By night, she toils away at a collection of short stories, fantasising about a literary career to rival that of the iconic Shelby Rayburn, internationally renowned and widely hailed as the voice of Ruth’s generation of women.

When Shelby and her husband, Oscar, make an appearance at an annual faculty party, Ruth can’t believe her luck. The trio immediately hit it off, and an intoxicating intimacy develops between them, underwritten by a simmering sexual tension. Everything changes when Shelby makes Ruth an offer she can’t refuse—one that she can’t tell anyone about, including Oscar. As boundaries blur and secret alliances form, the dynamic becomes riddled with distrust and threatens to implode. Ruth and Shelby need each other, but each has their own agenda when it comes to friendship, love and literary stardom.

Deepening her exploration of female friendships, art and fame, award-winning author Laurie Petrou returns with a campus novel that asks what it means to be a creator in an age where notions of authorship, relationships and notoriety seem dangerously undefinable.

 I had higher hopes for this one, especially because it started off so interesting.  And then it just became garbled and confusing.  It was supposed to be a big twist at the end, but it just left me deflated.  Also not sure I appreciated the AI love, at all.  Hope you have better luck.

The Rayburn Affair comes out next week on September 1, 2026 and you can purchase HERE.  

'People fear technology, fear AI, fear the future itself, but we shouldn't, should we?' Ruth paced the length of the lecture hall, her heels echoing against the wooden floor. 'Why? Simple: the future, even in its unknowable fog, also holds infinite potential, our ideas, our unfinished stories. We haven't ruined anything yet, we haven't made choices yet. It's all for the taking. We just need to get there. Our future offers, like some great, refracting kaleidoscope, so many versions, countless plots, innumerable possible endings. And technology, when treated judiciously, when used wisely, can ease our journey there, allow us to reach our creative potential. We can try out different versions. We can experiment with choice. Our future selves - for the taking.'