Brighton in the 1950s: Tom, a young policeman, courts and marries Marion, a schoolteacher, while also carrying on a secret relationship with Patrick, a museum curator, at a time when homosexuality is a crime. The story alternates between the earlier years and the 1990s, when Marion takes in the now ill and aged Patrick, and the three must face what they did to each other. Bethan Roberts gives each of the three a voice, so the sympathy shifts as the story unfolds.
It will appeal to readers of quiet historical fiction who want a love triangle seen with some pity for everyone. Anyone interested in how British law and social pressure shaped private lives in the postwar decades will find it affecting.
Inward-looking; a moderate read.
Best for readers like The Empathetic Explorer. Which reader are you?
- Published
- 2012
- Language
- EN
