Evidence of the Affair

Evidence of the Affair (2018) is a novella by Taylor Jenkins Reid. It follows an epistolary format, which means that the story is told through letters. Set in the late 1970s, it follows Carrie Allsop, a homemaker who discovers that her husband, Ken, is having an affair with a married woman named Janet. Carrie writes to Janet’s husband, David, revealing the infidelity. Gradually, the tone of Carrie and David’s letters shifts from the guarded communication of strangers to the intimacy of close confidantes. The novella explores themes of trust, self-discovery, and the cathartic power of honesty.

Taylor Jenkins Reid is the author of the bestselling novels The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo (2017), Daisy Jones & the Six (2019), Malibu Rising (2021), Carrie Soto is Back (2022), and Atmosphere (2025).

This guide refers to the 2018 eBook published by Amazon Original Stories.

Content Warning: The source material and this guide contain discussions of emotional abuse, sexual content, gender discrimination, and cursing.

Plot Summary

Evidence of the Affair is an epistolary novella told entirely through letters. It begins when Carrie Allsop, a 30-year-old homemaker, discovers a series of love letters addressed to her husband, Dr. Kenneth Allsop, from a woman named Janet Mayer. Rather than confronting Ken, Carrie writes to Janet’s husband, David, informing him of the affair. She asks David to send her any letters he finds from Ken to Janet, explaining she feels compelled to find out more before she acts.

David writes back, shocked but grateful for the warning. He initially did not suspect his wife, but he confirms that, after receiving Carrie’s letter, he overheard Janet talking to Ken on the phone. David asks Carrie to forward his wife’s correspondence. Janet’s love letters to Ken reveal that the couple met at the Hotel del Coronado, where Ken was attending a medical conference, and they spent a passionate night together. Afterward, they met secretly whenever opportunity arose. Janet’s letters convey the intense sexual chemistry of her affair with Ken. She also describes feeling liberated from her role as a wife and mother of four when she is with him. David eventually finds Ken’s letters to Janet hidden inside a cookbook and sends them to Carrie. Ken’s correspondence is equally passionate, claiming that he has never experienced real love until his relationship with Janet.

Carrie and David start exchanging letters regularly. Neither is ready to confront or leave their spouses and both hope that the affair will run its course. As the tone of their letters shifts from restrained civility to candid admissions, they build an unexpected emotional bond based on their mutual hurt. David confesses that, although he is a high school biology teacher, he struggles to provide for his large family. His shame over his financial plight has stopped him from picking up pennies in the street—a habit that once brought him joy. After Janet unexpectedly had twins, his sexual desire dwindled due to his concern that she might become pregnant again. David’s greatest fear is that Janet might leave him for Ken, and David will lose custody of the four sons he adores. Carrie admits that she has never had a job during her 10-year marriage to Ken, and she has also been unable to become pregnant. If Ken leaves her, she will feel stripped of any sense of identity.

Carrie and David begin meeting and discover they have much in common, including shared literary and musical tastes. Their subsequent letters are filled with warmth and praise for each other’s attributes.

Carrie discovers a new letter from Janet to Ken revealing a plan to meet Ken over the Fourth of July weekend. In this letter, Janet affirms that, like Ken, she is ready to leave her spouse. Carrie and David decide that they will also meet at a hotel on that weekend to take their minds off events. In their letters afterward, Carrie and David state that their joyful time together made them forget their misfortune. Both feel less frightened of the future.

Then, Carrie writes to David, reporting a strange change in Ken’s behavior, as he buys her flowers and takes her out to expensive restaurants. David responds that he is similarly confused, as Janet is no longer making excuses to leave the house. However, Carrie believes the affair must still be ongoing as Ken claims to be attending a forthcoming conference in Palm Springs for several days. Carrie suggests that, once Janet offers her own excuse for going away, she and David could meet at a hotel again. However, as the conference date draws nearer and Janet shows no sign of leaving, David suggests that the affair may be over.

Carrie reveals to David how Ken surprised her by inviting her to the Palm Springs conference. Her husband was romantic and attentive, describing how he planned to book a second honeymoon in Italy. Despite his past behavior, Carrie is convinced her husband loves her and regrets the affair. David tells Carrie that Janet has voluntarily confessed to her infidelity and wants to begin their marriage afresh. Janet ended the affair with Ken during the Fourth of July weekend when she saw a penny and was reminded of her husband’s old habit of collecting them. Suddenly, she realized that she wanted to rekindle her marriage rather than embark on a new life with someone else. Ken was unhappy about this decision, and they fought. David encloses letters from Ken to Janet with the proviso that Carrie should not read them if she is happy with her husband. Carrie reads the letters in which Ken describes his marital dissatisfaction, criticizes Carrie’s inability to have children, and begs Janet to come back to him. He also admits that he has had other affairs in the past but was willing to be monogamous with Janet.

Carrie writes to her lawyer, enclosing Ken and Janet’s correspondence as “evidence” of their affair. She confirms her intention to fight for everything she is entitled to in the forthcoming divorce.

Almost a year later, Carrie writes to David, revealing that her decision to leave Ken coincided with the discovery that she was pregnant with David’s baby. She has moved back in with her parents, is studying for her real estate license, and her daughter Margaret is now a month old. Carrie states that, while she has no expectations, David knows where to find them.