When this novel was first published in 1969, followed by a steamy TV adaptation, it was quite controversial. Now, the book is back and another TV version was recently screened in the U.K., though not yet available in the U.S. At first blush, the tale of a father's obsessive love for his daughter might seem like a limited theme, but before story's end there is a good bit of discussion and psychological meandering about an appetite for violence on the part of the mother and daughter, Cassie and Prue, that overrides the scintillating whiff of possible incest.
Peter Manson is beside himself with anger and anguish when his beloved Prue, 19 and pregnant, insists on marrying layabout loser Gavin. Peter cannot be civil to Gavin, even at story's end when so much has been lost. In a daze of confusion and pain, Peter starts an affair with his new secretary, Sarah, a girl with her own complexities. She understands her position with Peter: "You're in love with Prue. Not me, or your wife, just Prue. You can't bear her being married, you can't bear her being pregnant. You don't want me as a person, you just want someone to take your mind off her. But nobody can because you're obsessed with her." That sums up the pivotal conundrum of the novel. There is no actual incest, but it is patently obvious what is at the center of Peter's unregenerate rage.
In a momentary lapse of judgment, Peter takes Sarah to Prue and Gavin's flat while they are on holiday. The friend who waters the plants catches them in flagrante delicto. Gavin can't wait to tell Prue, and Prue then can't wait to confront her mother and father with her knowledge, while they are all together for dinner.
Prue is selfish, spoiled and has a penchant for inviting a violent reaction to her taunting behavior. The night of her revelation, she gets that reaction in spades. Gavin beats her and she ends up in the hospital. From here to the end, the melodrama is about knee deep, with several excursions into amateur psychology regarding sadism and masochism and the thrill of personal danger, especially when it is invited. There is much pain, both psychic and physical, inflicted all around, and still more to come. Gavin, the free spirit, has yet another arrow in his quiver and Cassie has her own secret to reveal. In spite of yourself, you will not be able to stop reading.--Valerie Ryan
Shelf Talker: A father's obsessive love for his daughter and an affair with his secretary tears his family apart. He is not the only guilty party.