This was the author’s first adult novel, published in 1977 and it was shortlisted for the Booker prize, not a bad start, but of course she had already been very successful as a children’s writer.
I have to say this is not my favourite of her books but I can certainly appreciate the skilled writing. It could be said to be one of those stories where very little happens. I have read many like that, but there is a shift in dynamics at the end which is clever and unexpected. It makes the reader want to know what happens next. We don’t find out; the story ends. I think the balance within the marriage of the two main characters changes, maybe for the better but I’m not sure. Despite having a slight plot, this is an intelligent and perceptive read.