The Edge of Pleasure
Philippa Stockley, . . Harcourt/Harvest, $14 (325pp) ISBN 978-0-15-603210-0
Stockley presents a stylish portrait of a formerly famous artist as a not-so-young man. Once a "gorgeous, lone, enigmatic male," with a fabulous early career, painter Gilver Memmer, now 42, has slipped into alcoholism, set aside his paintbrush for a decade and retreated into self-imposed exile from his former London social circles. Two women penetrate the realm of his near-seclusion. Alice longs to be part of his future, hoping to help him become the man he once was. But Juliette, who just happens to be Alice's best friend, is a woman from Gilver's past intent on exacting revenge for a transgression of his 15 years earlier. None of the characters is likable, but the glittering narrative exerts a strong pull. Gilver's habit of rough, narcissistic sex complicates a later "did he or didn't he" rape scenario in which Stockley wisely steers clear of the reformed-bad-boy cliché. Stockley's novel (after
Reviewed on: 12/12/2005
Genre: Fiction
Hardcover - 325 pages - 978-1-4482-0846-3
Open Ebook - 325 pages - 978-1-4482-0847-0
Paperback - 325 pages - 978-0-349-11546-7