synopsis:

the play Betrayal tells the tragic story of a husband and wife, robert and emma. Pinter tells the story backward, beginning with a meeting between Emma and roberts friend Jerry two years after their seven-year affair was ended. Now, after it's all over, Emma's marriage has broken up. From that point (and a subsequent conversation between Jerry and Robert), it goes back to the breakup of the affair, then to when Emma told Robert about it and finally to the heady moment it all began.

on this book:

when betrayal was first performed, many critics regarded the backward telling of the story as a mere trick. Nowadays most theatre experts see this technique as the very core of the play. The reason why is too complex to explain briefly; as with many manic literature, we can only advise you to read or see this play. It was adapted on film by david hugh jones in 1983.