Masks by Fumiko Enchi

Masks is Enchi's elegant, seductive story of sexual deception, revenge, and the haunting legacy of the past. 

Ibuki loves widow Yasuko, who is young, charming and sparkling with intelligence. His friend, Mikame, desires her too but that is not the difficulty. What troubles Ibuki is the curious bond that has grown between Yasuko and her mother-in-law, a beautiful, cultivated yet jealous woman, who is manipulating the relationship between Yasuko and the two men who love her. 

BRIEF ENCOUNTERS: classic novellas and captivating stories, to be read in a single sitting or savoured over days