Longing

An intense psychological novel, this book focuses on a young womans dependence on her husband and her attempts to forge an independent life for herself. Rosa, a frail, sensitive American Jew living in Paris, marries an alcoholic expatriate from Chile and finds herself trapped in a sadomasochistic relationship. Amid a series of fast-moving eventsthe birth of their daughter, moving to Rosas parents home and then to Sausalito, California, and various sexual encountersthis narrative explores Antonios fears and failures as well as Rosas implicit trust in him to direct her life. Ultimately, Rosa begins to question her relationship with her husband and her parents.