Putney by Sofka Zinovieff

Putney is a headfirst journey into right and wrong. It's a story of consent viewed from three angles: those of Ralph, a thirty-something family friend, Daphne, the object/child of his affection, and her best friend, Jane. Given the subject matter, it could definitely be a polarizing and/or triggering read, but I personally felt as though the subject was tackled respectfully with a lot of careful thought.

Daphne is a beautiful sprite of a child. Raised in a very loose, free flowing family, she and her older brother are basically given free reign and not many rules. It's the seventies and she lives in a very bohemian household. Her parents are always on the periphery. When they're at home, there's an open-door policy and lots of boozy dinners with their eccentric friends, but oftentimes, they're out for indefinite amounts of time and Daphne is mainly left to her own devices.

Ralph enters Daphne's life at an early age. He's a composer and develops a close working relationship with Daphne's novelist father, Edmund. From the moment he lays eyes on her (he around age thirty; she aged nine) he's mesmerized. She glides through life, carefree and loose and when she turns twelve, he seduces her. They continue and delve deeper into their secretive relationship for a few short years. While they're relationship is clearly inappropriate from an outside perspective, Ralph justifies it by claiming a uniquely special bond to only her, even though he also marries and has children with another friend of the family, Nina. Daphne believes she is in love with Ralph and blindly follows his lead.

Jane feels like she doesn't measure up. She constantly compares herself to her friend, Daphne, and comes up short in every respect. She feels to tall, too fat, too bookish in comparison to lithe, golden, exotic Daphne. Early on, she discovers the secret relationship going on between her friend and Ralph and on top of everything feels like a third wheel. She's jealous of the tiny presents he brings her friend and of the attention she receives from him. While she mainly resents Ralph, she also develops complicated feelings of jealousy towards him.

The story bounces around from the seventies to present day and alternates viewpoints by each of the three main characters. We see the story of Ralph and Daphne unfold, then we meet them again in the present day - Ralph in his seventies, dying of cancer, and Daphne and Jane in their early fifties. Time brings new perspectives, unfurls old discoveries and shines a spotlight on these complicated adult/child relationships.

There are a few twists and shocking revelations that definitely keep the plot interesting. Will Ralph get away with the rape of a minor? Does Daphne still hold affection in her heart for Ralph? How does Jane feel now that she and Daphne are adults with children of her own? Only time will tell...