Notes of a Scandal is an amusing and at times disturbing look at infatuation and the nature of obsession. It is a real triumph for Zoë Heller.  She successfully manages to merge comedy and pathos to create an intelligent, yet subversive portrayal of the British class system and the censure of the tabloid press.

Heller takes a ‘scandal’, which in reality is becoming commonplace and examines it from all the angles.  The real focus of the novel inevitably falls on the subjectivity of the ‘truth’ behind the rumours.

The action is gripping despite the fact that the outcome is known right from the start.  This gives us a privileged position to observe from, not to mention appealing to our sense of voyeurism and curiosity. We know a secret that many of the other characters are yet to learn but despite that an air of intrigue is still maintained.

Barbara is a spinster who lives in her flat in Archway with her cat for company.  Her social dyslexia makes her a sad and repellent character and the ambiguous nature of her sexuality makes you question her motives of friendship towards Sheba.  As Sheba seems to loose her grip on reality and her infatuation for Connelly grows you can’t help worrying about her welfare when you now that she only has Barbara to turn to for support.

There is a genuine lack of mutual understanding between the protagonists.  Sheba is, ‘the most genuinely upper-class person’ Barbara has ever met. Barbara is the daughter of a stationary shop owner for whom, ‘the terrible fate of being common was to be escaped’ and Connolly, ‘lives in the centre of a crawling council estate’. The disparity caused by their class differences lends believability to the fact that each character can’t understand the other’s motivation. Whilst this can be frustrating at times because not all of the reader’s questions are answered, it is nevertheless convincing.  Heller’s surprising ability to get into the mind of a middle-aged spinster also illustrates her strong talent for imaginative empathy.  It’s the little touches of dialogue, quick-witted observations and humour within the text that give her characters their plausibility. 

Amusing subplots involving the bureaucracy of the British educational system and the double standards and sensationalism of the tabloid press also add texture to the novel. Barbara is quick to point out that, ‘there is a discrepancy in the way the public judges the sexual misbehaviour of men and women being female will do nothing for Sheba, except deny her the grandeur of genuine villainy’.

This is a book that investigates the precarious relationship between truth, trust and friendship.  ‘Notes on a Scandal’, should be read by anyone who has ever made a mistake and invested in a friendship or relationship unwisely.

Reviewed by Katherine Toler

I think in many ways it might have been easier to write it in Britain. I had been out of the country so long when I started this book that I felt rather shaky on some details pertaining to idiom and geography.

Barbara Covett, the spinster who narrates the story, is a very lonely person who has ‘the bitterness of a life considered wasted.’ Where did you get the inspiration for her?

Barbara is not modelled on any particular individual, but aspects of her personality and of her relationship with Sheba were taken from various unhappy women I've known over the years.

Your great achievement in the novel is for us, as readers, to sympathise with both the women, Sheba and Barbara. Did you find this difficult to do, who did you start with?

Sheba came first. That's to say, I started with the idea of a middle aged woman having an affair with a 15-year-old. But as soon as I hit upon the device of having a third party tell the story, the third party - ie. Barbara - took over. She ended up interesting me more than anyone else. As a result, I think now, the other characters got slightly short shrift. Certainly,
Barbara is the most fully realized character in the book. (Although it should also be pointed out that lots of readers don't find her sympathetic at all.)

Notes on a Scandal was short listed for the Man Booker prize and is now long listed for the Orange Prize. You’ve been living out of Britain for 10 years or so, do you feel uncomfortable coming back to the UK and being put in the spotlight by your old colleagues as it were?

This time round, the business of coming back to the UK was very pleasant. (It's much easier when your book is being reviewed nicely.) It is occasionally a bit odd to be the interviewee rather than the interviewer, but I have an enormous ego, so sitting around talking about myself is not really that painful.

You write a weekly column for the Daily Telegraph at the moment. Can you ever see yourself giving up your journalism and writing fiction full time?

In theory, yes. But like most fiction-writers, I have to have some alternative source of income to pay my bills.

The film rights to Notes on a Scandal have just been sold. Please could you tell us a little about this:  how much control will you retain over the adaptation from page to screen? Do you see it as a totally different medium i.e. are of the attitude ‘take the money and run’ or do you feel so emotionally attached to the book, that you would prefer to retain some control over it and maybe write the script (if you’re asked)?

As far as I know, I have no control over the film, but I am happy with that. Screen writing is not something I'm good at and I'm certain  that Patrick Marber, the very talented playwright who has been hired to write the screenplay adaptation, will do an excellent job. I'm keen to get on with writing another book.

I understand your next novel will be set in the States. Please could you tell us a bit about it.

It's very early stages, so I can't say much. It's about a family and it's going to have some stuff about orthodox Jews and communists. Oh dear, it sounds deathly.

Please could you recommend 2 books to our readers.

A High Wind In Jamaica by Richard Hughes. About pirates and childhood. One of my favourite books. Fantastic prose style that is a mix of late Victorian and early modern. A masterpiece.

I Capture The Castle by Dodie Smith. A portrait of a bohemian English family living in a ruined castle. Also a coming of age novel about falling in love for the first time and wanting to be a writer. It's the book I always re-read when I'm ill in bed and want a good cry.