The Tango Chain by Linda MacDonald is an interesting tale.
Two women, two dangerous obsessions, one tangled web of love, longing, and lies.
When newly retired teacher Taryn stumbles into the seductive world of the Argentine tango, the unexpected reappearance of her charismatic ex, Marc, threatens to unravel the stable life she’s built with steady, dependable Neil. As she spirals between exhilaration and self-destructive temptation, Taryn risks repeating the very mistakes she once swore she’d left behind.
Down the road, Rachel – clever, impulsive, and half Taryn’s age – is trapped in an affair with a married man she calls “Sam”. She knows he’s wrong for her. She knows the relationship is doomed, but Rachel can’t tear herself away. When Taryn, determined to save her from heartbreak, draws her into the tango scene, a truth erupts that leaves both of them reeling.
With their lives suddenly entwined, Taryn and Rachel must confront the illusions that have kept them captive: illusions about love, about themselves and about the people they’ve placed on pedestals.
Taryn is a strong character, yet she still seems to be driven by the events of her past (which we get a glimpse into, but are told in more detail in MacDonald’s previous books). She is in a relationship with the rather set-in-his-ways Neil.
A retired teacher, Taryn is looking for a little excitement; she wants to learn new things, have new experiences, while Neil wants to potter around on his allotment and move to Cornwall, both of which seem horrifying to her. They’re at a crossroads and, for a time at least, Taryn goes in the opposite direction, which leads her to the Argentine Tango and a reunion with an ex-lover, Marc.
Rachel is not quite so different from Taryn; she’s having an affair with Sam, a married man with two young children, and will do anything to keep him. There are times when she seems like a child herself.
As I am not a child of divorce, I don’t know if this is usual for adult children, but the names she gives to the people who have found their way into her parents’ lives frustrate me. In fact, Rachel frustrated me for a large portion of the book. She is rudderless and selfish. But I think this is the point.
In Rachel, Taryn finds someone she can guide away from making the same mistakes she made herself. Are there moments where I want to bang both of their heads together? Absolutely, but this made me want to know more.
There was a twist in The Tango Chain that, if you have already read the other books linked to this one, you will already be aware of, I felt was possibly an unnecessary reveal, but I can see where the author was taking Taryn. It wasn’t necessarily for Rachel’s sake that the revelation was made, possibly more to help Taryn realise that she was going in the wrong direction in her own life!
The Tango Chain analyses the lives of two women at different stages of their lives. Taryn has lived, loved, dreamed, and is now reaching a stage that terrifies her. The indicator of her misery is the way she styles her hair.
When she’s with Neil, adjusting to what is to come, her hair is brushed down and sensible, giving the appearance of someone who makes do. When she’s dressed up and ready for the dance floor, the passion of the Tango, she spikes her short hair, taking time over her appearance, dressing in vibrant colours.
Rachel reads as though she is lost, as though her entire identity is found between the sheets when she’s with Sam. Outside of that relationship, her life is colourless and empty. Yet she has the chance to change things.
During one flashback (there are several throughout The Tango Chain that give us an insight into links between these two characters they may not actually be aware of), Rachel revisits the moment when her school peers realised (after a mini off-page makeover) that she’s actually quite stunning.
For all that she is physically attractive, it’s clear to see that there is a darkness in her, especially when you see how she tries her hardest to manipulate moments with Sam. She is wasting herself on a man who is selfish and will never leave his wife.
I have to be honest, there were plot elements in The Tango Chain that I guessed relatively easily, especially where “Sam” was concerned, though this was more due to the little breadcrumbs throughout the book.
I was angry with Rachel for lacking any self-respect. She wants him, even when he uses her like a disposable element in his life, very much wham-bam-thank-you-ma’am. His lack of care for anyone in his life, yet he stays with a wife he only married (according to him) because she trapped him with a pregnancy (again, his words).
He is the classic “But she doesn’t understand me” man! And he still has women falling at his feet!
Overall, a great book about the complexity of relationships, growing up, growing older and learning about yourself. I do wish, personally, that things had ended a little bit differently.
Both Taryn and Rachel learned a lot about themselves, but there were no consequences for the horrible actions they carried out in order to get to that endpoint.
Looking for something similar to The Tango Chain?
The Salsa Dancer by Jane Corry
Solo by Caroline Swinburne
The Temptation of Gracie by Santa Montefiore
What If I Never Get Over You by Paige Toon
The Echoes of Love by Hannah Fielding
The Marriage Betrayal by Claire Dyer
Esther is Now Following You by Tanya Sweeney
The Overdue Life of Amy Byler by Kelly Harms
