It Ends with Revelations. Dodie Smith

It Ends with Revelations.
Dodie Smith.

Little, Brown: 1967.

From the author of 101 Dalmations comes . . . a drama of homosexuality? Yes, and a good one. Jill Quentin is (we learn halfway through the book) married to a gay actor whom she loves dearly as a friend. He saved her from a hard life and so she is loyal to him as a wife. She, however, has just fallen in love with a widower, and enjoys the company of his teenage daughters, as well. So -- should she leave Quentin or remain loyal to him?

It is amazing that I, normally a plot-driven reader, enjoyed this novel, as nothing really happens. But every character is superbly written, and the complexity of Jill's emotions are handled brilliantly. Smith's sparse explanations and delicately handled and the entire book is a masterpiece in this regard.

The ending is disappointing -- because it is not the happy endng which we have been hoping for -- but very realistic, and eminently justified by the novel's complexity. Any simpler, happier ending would have cheapened the entire novel.