Playing House – A fascinating & Disturbing Read
A Novel by Frederica Wagman
Incest is a taboo subject in most of society. People tend not to want to think about closely related people having sex whether it is consensual or not. Frederica Wagman's Playing House deals with incest and its effects on the victims life.
Plot
The story begins with the narrator, whose name is never disclosed, describing the first time her older brother came to her for sex. She tells the reader her brother told her never to tell anyone what was happening. As the "relationship" progresses her brother brings her presents much like a lover might bring always telling her to never tell.
The "relationship" progresses from one which is forced to consensual when the narrator begins to like the closeness she feels with her brother. She dreams of it and misses it when he leaves for boarding school hoping for the day he returns. She seeks the closeness she felt with her brother by turning to the family dog in a failed attempt at beastiality. When the brother arrives home, their relationship is changed the girl realizes by the introduction of new girls in his life.
Eventually the narrator grows up and marries "the turtle". All of her relationships are challenged by her memories of her past relationship with her brother. She tries to confess to everyone what has happened including priests, "the turtle", and her mother. The narrator descends into madness caused by what she experienced. She tries to learn from the mistakes and problems of the past, but seems doomed to continually repeat them.
Subject Matter of the Book
When the book was originally released in 1973, Publisher's Weekly said it is "a probing descent into madness that will fascinate ...." The book is alternately fascinating and very disturbing. The reader desires to know more, but feels the urge to turn away from what is being described.
Incest is not easy to talk about, but Ms. Wagman does an excellent job dealing with this subject. Her descriptions of the acts and resulting emotions are plausible. The reader feels sorry for the narrator and wants her life to get better. The descent into craziness is dealt with in a understanding and caring manner.
The book is written in the first person. This style of writing leads to the reader being more readily able to identify with the narrator. The narrator is more human when the story is told in her voice rather than in the voice of an unrelated narrator.
Extras in the Book
The current 35th anniversary edition of this book includes study questions at the end. The questions would be good for reading group who is studying the book and for individual readers who want to dive into the story.
This book is suitable for adults as it deals with a very adult theme. In addition the descriptions of the sexual acts in the book are vivid and would not be suitable for young people.
Playing House: A Novel by Frederica Wagman
Zoland Books, 35th edition, 2008
ISBN: 978-1-58195-225-4
Playing House by Frederica Wagman
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