From Publishers Weekly
Having previously depicted the excesses of religious fundamentalism in Tongues of Flame , Parks here ironically explores the meaning of moral "goodness" from the point of view of a fiercely atheistic protagonist. George Crawley is the son of a missionary murdered in Burundi and a piously self-sacrificing, "obstinately optimistic" mother, who takes George and his sister back to England and dedicates the rest of her life to caring for her foul-tempered old father and the "walking wounded" of the Methodist Church. Scornful of all religious observance and determined to rise in the world, George transcends his lower-middle-class background in a marriage to wealthy Shirley Harcourt, with whom he pursues the good life--until she gives birth to a deformed, severely handicapped child. Scenes reminiscent of Joe Egg detail baby Hilary's travails and her parents' realization that she will always be a burden. Though he learns to love the child, George is determined to end Hilary's existence--and Shirley's martyrdom in caring for her--via euthanasia. The evolution of George's moral conscience, his epiphany during a crisis he has deliberately created, and Shirley's own decision in the novel's astonishing denouement will keep readers absorbed in this mordant, thought-provoking tragicomedy.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
Parks explores the nature of goodness and moral faith in this poignant, witty, and disturbing novel. George Crawley, son of a missionary father and a pious mother, strives to escape his past by adopting a yuppie lifestyle in suburban London. He marries his college sweetheart, Shirley, gets a good job, and is superbly happy until Shirley gives birth to a blind, deformed, mentally retarded daughter. Trapped by his defective genes, George falters in his plans for the good life and is forced into confronting his true self. Parks questions difficult subjects--abortion, euthanasia, adultery, guilt--but his writing is always humorous, and his characters are both funny and bizarre. The novel builds to a spectacular climax that is unexpected as well as unforgettable.
- Stephanie Furtsch, New Rochelle P.L., N.Y.Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.
