The Acceptance World - post II

Although for most of the first two volumes you have wanted Jenkins to become more committed to a course of action that will either bring success in his career or love into his life when it finally comes as a reader all you sense is dread. Will a character that you have come to like change now he is involved with a woman?

So far there is little sign of it although he is only at the start of his relationship with jean and he makes it clear he has asked her to marry him and she seems to be delaying preferring to be stuck legally in a dead marriage.

One thing that strikes you as odd, which is even then covered in the story, is the lack of presence of children. At one point Jean says that her brother’s marriage might have worked if he had produced lots of children with his wife Mona. Jenkins seems to think that this is an odd thought and then goes further sharing his thoughts with the reader that it is odd that jean wants to spend time and fuss over her daughter Polly. It was clearly a time when children were seen and not heard and then at the earliest opportunity sent away to a boarding school.

Meanwhile Quiggin and Mark members are competiting to be the secreatry to a famous novelist and the first appearance of politics - in this case the Marxist variety - arrives with Sillery and Quiggin marching to protest.

More on Monday…