Mylene Huq

Mylene Huq enters the story through other people’s accounts of her marriage and private life, first becoming an address Bunny obtains through Poodle and later appearing in person at the Empress Ballroom. Her brief appearances trace a shift from being discussed as an opportunity by men around Bunny to being seen in a companionable moment with Pamela Stokes.

Identity and Introduction

Mylene lives in Rottingdean. The account Bunny hears is that her husband left her for someone half his age; afterward, she began a series of sexual relationships framed by the people discussing her as a form of revenge. The story has circulated among local men, who treat her circumstances as an opportunity to pursue her. This information reaches Bunny through Poodle, whose quick response to Bunny’s call supplies Mylene’s address.

Bunny’s Attention

Bunny’s interest in Mylene is shaped by his habitual pursuit of sexual encounters. After waking hungover and gloomy, he remembers her and goes to her address. Later, while visiting Mrs Brooks, he recalls an encounter with Mylene. The novel thus places her in Bunny’s recollections as part of his sexual history, while the account of how he finds her is filtered through the male gossip network that has made her private life a subject of shared speculation.

Appearance at the Empress Ballroom

Mylene appears again at the Empress Ballroom, where she stands with Pamela Stokes, Poodle’s gift to Bunny. Pamela has an arm around Mylene’s waist; the two smile and exchange shy, coquettish glances. This scene gives Mylene a presence beyond Bunny’s account of their encounter and the rumors that preceded it. The details suggest warmth between the women, but the novel does not explain their relationship or establish what follows.

Narrative Role

Mylene’s appearances are brief, but their contrast is telling: she is first introduced through a story circulated by men who view her romantic circumstances as an opening, and later shown in a mutual, apparently affectionate exchange with Pamela. She is connected to Bunny’s pattern of pursuit without being reduced entirely to his recollection of her; at the ballroom, the attention shifts to her visible companionship with another woman.