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Book Review: Discussing consent and pedophilia in 'Putney'

Sofka Zinovieff’s attempt to write a modern-day tale of Vladimir Nabokov’s Lolita is a success.

Asmara Wreksono (The Jakarta Post)
Jakarta
Fri, September 28, 2018

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Book Review: Discussing consent and pedophilia in 'Putney' 'Putney' discusses the darkness of pedophilia, taking readers deep into the child-grooming process that may be little known to the unsuspecting general public. (Shutterstock/Bloomsbury)

R

alph Boyd, an up-and-coming composer, is visiting producer Edmund Greenslay at his home in Putney for work purposes. He meets Daphne, Edmund’s daughter, and soon begins a relationship, which wouldn’t have mattered had Daphne been an adult. 

The reality is, Daphne was only nine when they first met and had barely entered her teenage years when she lost her innocence to Ralph, then almost 30 and married. Decades later, after going through life’s trials and tribulations, Daphne settles down with her now teenage daughter, Libby, and begins to explore the idea of Ralph being a sex abuser, not a lover.

Sofka Zinovieff’s attempt to write a modern-day tale of Vladimir Nabokov’s Lolita is a success as Putney narrates the familiar issue from three different points of view: those of Ralph, Daphne and Jane. The first half of the book feels like a pastel-colored whimsical romance between two carefree souls as permissively happened in the 1970s. The second half enters a darker realm as it builds a sobering realization that what was portrayed as a gentle lover is really a monstrous abuser, and the girl in question a minor. 

The novel discusses the darkness of pedophilia, taking readers deep into the child-grooming process that may be little known to the unsuspecting general public. Daphne’s interpretation of Ralph’s love can sway even the adult and knowledgeable reader into thinking that it may be real. The unknowing, loving child who had no idea about consent and the moment of truth where she transformed into a justice seeker 40 years later is depicted as bold and courageous, although with a wobbly start.

Read also: Book Review: A tale of two sisters in ‘The Kinship of Secrets’

Zinovieff expertly makes sense of the upsetting case by humanizing each character, giving ample space of reason to the antagonist who, according to any standards, doesn’t deserve mercy. Cancer-ridden in his 80s, Ralph may garner a grain of sympathy while his plot still does not cleanse him of his crimes. And unlike Nabokov’s Humbert Humbert, Ralph’s violent bone is never quite shown, which engulfs readers with wonder: despite his sick obsession does he really love Daphne? Moreover, how should he be punished?

Jane, a childhood friend of Daphne, is a character necessary to bring our protagonist to the present day, where women are no longer afraid to speak up regarding sexual abuse. Without Jane, the case of Ralph and Daphne would be a pure he-says-she-says matter. However, Jane stayed complicit in a murky grey area for a tad too long before it’s revealed why she chose the side she finally did. It feels like her presence in the last parts of the book is merely to shroud Ralph with more darkness than he already possessed, hence forming him as a more despicable character toward the end and painting a stark contrast from the time he was introduced.

The masterful play of ambiguity that toys with today’s moral compass is the main strength of Putney, making it a gripping page-turner that can be devoured in under 24 hours. The book also touches the other side of the #MeToo movement: what happens to the abusers who have to face the blinding truth after hiding in darkness for decades. The very public downfall of otherwise family men, the immediate loss of trust and how it affects people close to them. A must-read. 

 



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