Review :
the review contains spoilers
This novel is one of the first ones tackling romantic relations between two women. We still perceive a certain influence from its era.
Although Therese is the main character, she isn’t very well developed. Her main characteristics are being young, being an intern as a theatre set designer and being in love with Carol. Carol is mainly characterized by the fact that she is beautiful, blond, rich, in love with Therese, and that she has a child and an ex-husband.
The most developed character is, ironically, Richard, who’s Therese’s date, and he is still very one-dimensional in the sense that his reactions are very predictable and he has very few characteristics of his own.
Obvisously, there is a lot of hate towards homosexuality. In the book, this homophobia is viewed through the eyesof a man. Richard keeps repeating to Therese that she is juste going through a phase, that she will come to her senses and that he will wait for her out of generousity.
Other than the couples Therese-Carol and Carol-Abby, there is no other homosexual characters and no characters of colour. The story happens in the 50s in New York and is somewhat avant garde for its time.
