Eros and Psyche

When Riviere (Watercolour Sky) focuses on specific details, his descriptive style rings true. More often, however, this novel set on a Greek island simply sounds pretentious, perhaps because it takes place largely inside the minds of a few idle rich protagonists whose thoughts sound alike. The narrow plot revolves around the fiercely independent Imogene Scottow, who is visiting her godmother at her seaside estate in Greece while trying to avoid Dario De Corvaro, her Italian ex-lover and possibly the father of her illegitimate baby daughter. But Dario's father was the lover of Imogene's godmother, so perhaps it shouldn't come as too great a surprise that Dario shows up unexpectedly. He and Imogene (and others) take turns mulling over their own past relationship and what this chance meeting means for them. Riviere writes powerfully when using concrete imagery--such as when Imogene recalls a childhood fall from a horse: ``Snagged by one foot I dragged along beneath him, I remember the back of my head banging on the lane and the pony's grey belly above me and the sky above that.'' But, the overall lack of real dialogue or interaction between characters means the reader doesn't fully interact with (or care about) them either. (July)