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Reviewed by Lucinda E Clarke for Readers' Favorite
The Girl He Left Behind by Lesley Hayes is the tale, told by Kat, of a relationship between two women in which she is the less dominant partner. She meets Alex, her lover, after a failed marriage and becomes part of the gay community in Oxford. Alex doesn’t give her an easy time. Her mood swings, lies, and histrionics are difficult to live with, and her behaviour also impacts on Alex’s daughter, Petra, who relies on Kat when matters get out of hand. Alex then decides that the only way she can be happy is to undergo a gender change. Kat stands by her, but is later rejected by Alex once too often, at which point Kat finally finds the strength to break away. She begins a new relationship with Annie, but Alex is always there, lurking in the background.
This is not a book to be read lightly, but slowly to savour the excellent use of language and prose. The Girl He Left Behind falls squarely into the literary category – one which will live on long after the ‘quick read’ novels have been forgotten. There is much to think about when you turn the pages and the author has made good use of her knowledge as an integrative psychotherapist, taking the reader into the dark reaches of the mind and the complex feelings of human emotions with its many contradictions and moods. While part of you wants to drag Kat away from Alex and her unhealthy hold on her, you can still understand the reasons Kat returns time and time again. Each character leaps off the page and by the end of the book I felt I had known them for years. I highly recommend this read for all book lovers who enjoy a well-written, solid read with great depth and meaning that makes you question the human spirit and the decisions made in relationships. A solid 5 stars.
