Christina Stead (1902-83) was a native Australian who lived much of her life elsewhere. She wrote this novel – often regarded as one of her best – in 1946, after spending several years in New York.

It is a ‘bildungsroman’, narrated by the precocious Letty, describing her development into womanhood. Her parents are separated. She lives mostly with her disappointed mother, while her father lives with his mistress elsewhere.

The first part of the novel, called ‘With the others’, records her early teenage years, surrounded by her extended family. I found it tedious and interminable.

The second part, called ‘On my own’, is about her experiences as a young woman, living alone while working in New York. Although still a struggle, it was slightly more entertaining, dealing largely with Letty’s sexual adventures in the company of miscellaneous men.    

That said, there is very little explicit sexual content, but maybe the Australian authorities (who banned the book for some years) were more upset by Letty’s ambivalent moral tone.

Stead’s narrative style is maladroit, so often clumsy, dense and inelegant. It is as if she is consciously and deliberately rejecting linguistic beauty, in favour of an uglier form of expression. This can be very demanding upon the careful reader.

By the final page I felt that my long slog through Stead’s verbiage had been thoroughly disappointing. Sometimes a book is hard work, but will ultimately reward the doggedly persistent reader.

Not this one, sadly.

TD

March 2024