Twenty-one women unite to discuss their mistakes and indiscretions in The Other Woman: Twenty-one Wives, Lovers, and Others Talk Openly about Sex, Deception, Love, and Betrayal (Warner, June 13), edited by Victoria Zackheim. The versatile compilation features non-fiction essays from women who have wronged or been wronged.

In “Palm Springs” by Mary Jo Eustace, a husband actually obtains the affections of the actress he teasingly lusts after. Eustace recalls the moment her husband left her (on vacation, no less) for his movie co-star girlfriend and future wife ,Tori Spelling.

Katherine Weber talks about having dinner with her father’s one-armed lover in “The Loves of His Life.” Weber’s parents remain married, though she suspects-because of the discovery of old love letters-the affair was not her father’s first.

Susan Cheever’s “In Praise of Married Men” discusses the author’s fondness for sleeping with another woman’s husband: “Some of my friends disapproved, and I heard over and over that married men never left their wives and that I was wasting myself on a man who would not be available to build a life with me. I didn’t care. I didn’t feel responsible for the disintegration of anyone else’s marriage. We were all adults, I was fond of saying. Could I help it if my soul mate happened to be inconveniently married to someone else?”

The overall tone of the anthology is depressing. Some of the authors find confidence in their sexual escapades, while others find their hearts are no longer in their relationships or marriage after having been cheated on. The Other Woman glorifies the biggest issue that keeps therapists in business today: disappointing relationships. Women may take solace in others’ similar pitfalls, but they will most likely be angered by the continual sleepless nights caused by their sisters.

Win a hardback copy of The Other Woman by filling out the form in the print edition of The University News and turning it into the newsroom, BSC Suite 354, by Wednesday, Sept. 5.