Description
Austere and ambitious, this novel follows a middle-aged man as he measures the distance between what he once felt and what he has become—turning over the choices, evasions, and moral compromises that shaped his relationship with a wife he truly loved. Through his reflections, the story probes how desire can masquerade as intimacy, and how self-justification slowly transforms love into something colder and more performative. As the narrative gathers momentum, a haunting dream of rescue—set against the shadow of Nazi violence—forces the narrator to confront the consequences of his lust and the limits of his conscience. Moravia’s distinctive, unsentimental style makes the psychological landscape feel razor-sharp, exploring themes of guilt, self-deception, and the uneasy boundary between longing and responsibility.
Available Editions
paperback
Secker and Warburg
Published Jan 1, 1966
ISBN: 0436287072
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Details
First Published
1965
Language
eng
Translation
From: ita
Content Warnings
No content warnings identified.