Review:
A twisted story of two sisters and their husbands and lovers, and superimposed on a biblical story of Job. Typical of Spark’s style and reflected by her interest in Job’s story.Plot:
A group of friends travel in Italy during
their holiday. Two sisters: Effie and Ruth, and their husbands: Harvey Gotham
and Edward Jansen, both friends from their student days. They are accompanied
by Ruth’s student – Nathan. At one of the stops Effie steals some chocolates
and share it with her friends. When told about how she got it about, her
husband Harvey Gotham leaves the car and abandons her.
He moves to France. In the meantime, Effie has relationship with Ernie Howe and gets pregnant. She wants to divorce Harvey and get a settlement from him as he had inherited some significant fortune. She sends Edward to see Harvey in France and discuss the issue. Harvey accepts the divorce but rejects any settlement for Effie. Sometime later, Ruth visits Harvey with Effie’s daughter and decides to stay with him, while caring for the baby.
Soon, all are caught up in events beyond their control when Effie joins a terrorist group that incites violence throughout the region where Harvey and Ruth are living. Ruth flees the police surveillance and returns to live with Clara's father. In the end, Ruth, about to give birth to Harvey's child, moves back to France to raise Clara and the new child with Harvey. A year after the narrative begins, Edward comes to visit them, Harvey has finished his work on Job, a sense of harmony in the lives of all seemingly has been restored.
He moves to France. In the meantime, Effie has relationship with Ernie Howe and gets pregnant. She wants to divorce Harvey and get a settlement from him as he had inherited some significant fortune. She sends Edward to see Harvey in France and discuss the issue. Harvey accepts the divorce but rejects any settlement for Effie. Sometime later, Ruth visits Harvey with Effie’s daughter and decides to stay with him, while caring for the baby.
Soon, all are caught up in events beyond their control when Effie joins a terrorist group that incites violence throughout the region where Harvey and Ruth are living. Ruth flees the police surveillance and returns to live with Clara's father. In the end, Ruth, about to give birth to Harvey's child, moves back to France to raise Clara and the new child with Harvey. A year after the narrative begins, Edward comes to visit them, Harvey has finished his work on Job, a sense of harmony in the lives of all seemingly has been restored.
Characters:
-
Anne-Marie - Harvey’s maid, and
police inspector.
-
Chatelain - a Police Inspector,
who interrogated Harvey.
-
Stewart Cowper - Harvey’s
London lawyer
-
Martin Deschamps - Harvey’s
French lawyer.
-
Harvey Gotham - Left Effie when
she stole a couple of chocolates while going on holiday. Moved to France to
study “The Book of Job”.
-
Clara Gotham - Effie and
Ernie’s daughter.
-
Effie Gotham - Harvey’s wife,
Edward’s sister-in-law.
-
Ernie Howe - an electronics
expert. Effie’s lover.
-
Edward Jansen - Harvey’s friend
from their student days. An actor.
-
Ruth Jansen - Edward’s wife
-
Nathan - Ruth’s student friend
-
Aunt Pet - Harvey’s Canadian
aunt
-
Louis Pomfret - a police
inspector working with Chatelain.
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