"No one can understand a person better than a person who thinks completely differently, but who has had basically similar experiences."

Cheating on Someone
by Ame Ai       
Lulu    

reviewed by Maggie Harding

"No one can understand a person better than a person who thinks completely differently, but who has had basically similar experiences." 



Amelie, is a twenty-four year old Asian woman who seemed destined to prove the above quote. The book opens with her in a relationship with Peanuts, a young man who thinks completely differently from her and treats her with disdain... on a good day. She is a thinker with the soul of a poet; he is addicted to video games. When she asks him to help her find something, he answers without taking his eyes off the TV, "No. I can't find something if I don't know where it is." Life with Peanuts was depressing and eventually led her to pursue a more balanced relationship.

She began cheating on him by engaging in a flirtatious relationship with a co-worker. Trademark was the opposite of Peanuts, he listened to her, he respected her, he treated her like royalty. The only problem was that Trademark was forty years her senior. As their relationship intensifies many questions arise and though Amelie comes to love Trademark, doubts about their future also intensify. The author expresses it best when she writes, "The combination of her two lovers would have made a the perfect man..."

Cheating on Someone is Ame Ai's first novel, her previous books being collections of her poetry. Her poetic style is beautifully incorporated into her prose as she includes poems to express Amelie's often exquisite emotions. Those who enjoy poetic prose and unusual perspectives on love will find this a compelling read.