Among the many mysteries in Under the Influence, Joyce Maynard's (After Her) ninth novel, is whether people believe the lies they tell themselves. Because there are as many lies and secrets as there are characters here, when the narrator tries to reinvent herself after a tragedy, the only person left to trust is the eight-year-old boy caught in the middle of it all.
Helen McCabe has had a hard life: a distant mother with a string of boyfriends, an emotionally abusive relationship and an alcohol problem. When a judge takes away her son, Helen feels that her life is over--until she meets Ava Havilland and her husband, Swift, an extravagantly rich and private couple. They become fast friends, to the point where Swift promises Helen he'll help get her son back. But, in the way that the Havillands treat their maid and Helen's new boyfriend, it becomes obvious they are hiding something.
As more is revealed about what, exactly, the couple is holding back, Maynard explores just how much Helen is willing to overlook and leaves it unclear whether Helen chooses to ignore her new friends' moral flaws or is blinded by her gratitude. The Havillands manipulate Helen so that she can't separate her own best interest from theirs, but will she will get out from under their influence before she loses herself completely? --Josh Potter