The eagerly awaited new novel from the author of The Kiss and The Binding Chair. Envy is the powerful modern story of Will, an analyst whose marriage is in trouble. Was it the accidental death of their child Luke in a boating accident that got the marriage to this point? Or is Will going through some sort of mid-life crisis? Will's twin brother Mitch has cast a shadow over his life. Mitch is an Olympic swimmer physically identical to Will except that he was born with disfiguring facial marks. For reasons that are gradually revealed, Mitch has been banished from the family. The sexual problems in Will's marriage follow him to the office, where he finds himself aroused by every female patient regardless of looks. Will is tortured by the idea that he may have fathered a daughter by a woman who is not his wife. This woman, now aged 25, is about to enter his life and cause havoc. In prose that has all the brilliance of a diamond this sexually-charged and highly explicit novel contains many dark secrets.
The back of the book strongly pushes the sex aspect of the story, but I think really the story is about grief. It explores different types, degrees, and methods of grieving, along with different losses — children, siblings, intimacy, innocence and purity. Will is self-analytical to an annoying degree, and there were several times when I just wanted him to shut up already. If you don’t mind that, this is a pretty good story. I do wish you got to spend some more time with Carole. She and Will don’t really come alive until the end of the story.
