She Came To Stay Author:Simone De Beauvoir This 1943 novel is about the deterioration of the relationship of a young couple who invite a young girl to stay with them for a prolonged visit. The novel's philosophical underpinning is de Beauvoir's idea that one's individual conscience is compromised by the existence of the consciences of others. — Set in Paris on the eve of World War II and ... more »sizzling with love, anger, and revenge, She Came to Stay explores the changes wrought in the soul of a woman and a city soon to fall. Although Franoise considers her relationship with Pierre an open one, she falls prey to jealousy when the gamine Xavire catches his attention. The moody young woman from the countryside pries her way between Franoise and Pierre, playing up to each one and deviously pulling them apart, until the only way out of the triangle is destruction.« less