The story of Liz, Alix and Esther continues. Alix has moved north, to the town where Liz was raised. She is interested in understanding the motivations of the serial killer Paul Whitmore, who we met in the first book, and she is visiting him in prison. Liz, a public intellectual, finds herself mired in controversy after some comments she makes on child sexuality. Esther is still living in Italy with her female lover, but is trying to decide whether to break that off, return to England, and possibly marry a man. Liz's sister Shirley, has a prominent role as she takes off on a lark after the death of her husband.

While the novel continues the saga of life in Britain in the 1980's, I did not find it as engaging as the first novel. For one thing, there are seemingly dozens of peripheral characters who make briefs appearances, one or two, but really don't seem to serve any purpose other than to pontificate. To me, the book really seemed to lack focus, and even a narrative arc. Drabble seems to experiment a bit with metafiction, as well, which also didn't work for me. She randomly speaks directly to the reader, for example, asking where the book should go? Here's some of that text as she's trying to resolve the Shirley plot:

"What do you think will happen to her? Do you think our end is known in our beginning, that we are predetermined, that we endlessly repeat?"

then,

"(And anyway, what is her age? I must say I have lost track of this a little myself. Is she 48 or 49 now, as I had thought, or 50, as others tell me? And if she is 50, does that make her behaviour more or less implausible?)"
(Note this is not a first person narrative book, or a character saying this--it's the author butting in).

and then,

"Shall she resume her non-existence? Is that what you seriously expect?"

and then,

"What possible future could there be for him and Shirley? I have made him as plausible as I can, I have offered him motivation, but I have to admit that it doesn't seem possible that he and Shirley can continue to go on seeing one another."

Annoying.

The final book in the trilogy, The Gates of Ivory is on my Kindle, and I have read very good things about it. I'll be reading it soon, and I hope it is better than this one was.

2 1/2 stars. ( )

Unpleasant characters in an unhappy life. ( )