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Her heroine this time out is Alexandra Rudd who must be the world's least observant actress. Successful, working hard at her craft, she leaves her husband, young son, and Labrador retriever in the country while she treads the boards in London's West End.
Her world is abruptly shattered when husband Ned dies of a heart attack, dropping dead in the dining room of their lovely country home. But did he really die in the dining room? And why has the house been so relentlessly swept clean by two women, Abbie and Vilna, supposed to be Alexandra's best friends?
What begins to unravel as Alexandra's suspicions deepen is a tale of a man so concupiscent as to merit some sort of Olympic medal. Or scientific investigation. Alexandra's gradual uncovering of this ugly story going on around her almost drives her to hysterical behavior.
As the plot unfolds, revealing sexual obsession, duplicity, betrayal, and a self-absorption so complete it becomes almost comic, the reader turns the page, fascinated by a set of people one is devoutly thankful are not neighbors or acquaintances.
Or are they? So well drawn are her characters that the reader can see resemblances to real people, people who exist, who draw breath and do the things Weldon has her characters do. Who might even live next door or worse still, look back at us from the mirror.
Weldon's story is cunningly, craftily woven, going from worst fears to a happy ending. The reader can only wish real life could so be so neatly and cleanly tied off and restarted.
Margaret E. Guthrie is a freelance writer in Madison, Wisconsin.
©1996, ProMotion, inc.
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