The Aunt's Story Author:Patrick White In The Aunt's Story, Patrick White brings to life one of his most compelling characters to date: Theodora Goodman, an incomplete woman trapped in her search for freedom by an escalating lack of touch with reality. Squelched by a selfish, tyrannical mother and overshadowed by a prettier sister, Theodora's reach has always exceeded her grasp. W... more »hen her mother dies, Theodora leaves her home for the French Riviera, in a desperate search for her own identity. There, in the fantastic "Jardin Exotique" of a French pension, she is drawn for awhile into a curious group of outcasts who, like Theodora, are captives of their various illusions. When at last Theodora reaches the shores of America, her odyssey reaches a paradoxical, haunting climax. Here is a novel of sustained brilliance and passion, a work which sees into the secret heart of a woman distracted by the titanic struggle between illusion and reality.« less