Pat D. (pat0814) reviewed on + 379 more book reviews
This is the haunting story of a woman whose self worth centers around her husband. Edna is crippled by insecurities and social awkwardness during her childhood and adolescence, and ultimately finds a place to belong when she and Harry marry following college. For twenty years, she lives to serve Harry's every need, seeking the impossibility of perfection throughout their marriage. She rarely expresses any desire or need of her own, and swallows the disappointment of not being able to bear a child. Harry commits a betrayal that totally obliterates Edna's identity, and leads to an act that results in dire consequences. Edna records her story in a journal following hospitalization in a psychiatric unit. Joan Barfoot is masterful in portraying Edna's world where the opinions of others define her, and ultimately her safe place is destroyed forever.
