Jessie is the center of interest in this fishnstory. She is the victim : victim of countlessnmale fashion photographers whose camerasnwere the instruments of their domination,nvictim of Roy and their “old” marriage,nand victim, too, in the opening sequence ofnthe novel of a Negro robber who tied her upnwith a pair of pantyhose and sexuallynassaulted her with a gun. This robberrapist,nwhom Jessie calls”B.G.” (BlacknGunman) and whose initials she subsequentlynappropriates, is in a curious way<nresponsible for Jessie’s transformation.nFollowing that assault, Jessie first realizesnthat she hates Roy, and the experience.nUnderstandably, looms large in her mind.nInstead of real analysis of the character,nhowever. Miss Gould allows Jessie to indulgenin reflections about the techniques ofnmale dominance, the phallic images whichnsurround her: guns, “buildings, cars,nbombs, crucifixes. All weapons that controlnor hurt” and “Even the words … to makenyou remember. Thrust, drive, penetrate,nshoot.”nThe climactic moment for Jessie occursnin the wake of hurricane Minerva, the stormnwhich devastates Andrea Island. MissnGould has been at some pains to establish ansympathetic bond between Jessie and thenstorm. Poor Minerva, like poor Jessie, is anvictim of men who drive their machines intonher core and shoot things into her in anneffort to control her. The men fail in theirnattempts to control the hurricane ; Minerva,nlike Jessie, eludes at the last minute thenThe Liberal Enthusiasmnwatchfulness of men, and both displaynunexpected violence. Jessie, in fact,nreenacts B.G.’s rape, this time using Roy’snpistol on Kate, the old school-chummistress,nwith whom in Roy’s absence shenhad earlier enjoyed a lesbian interlude.nOnce the storm has passed, little remainsnto be told. B.G. Kilroy and the two gil-lsnmake their escape to Reef Island; Roy, innCopenhagen on business during the storm,nreturns to search fruitlessly for his wife andnchildren; Kate goes back briefly to NewnYork but finally journeys to Reef Island tontake what appears to be her proper place innB.G. Kilroy’s harem.nThe book is devoted to seemingly endlessndiscussions of male and female “weapons.”nThe rather slavish adherence to thenresearch on labroides dimidiatus as a basisnfor a literary argument leads Miss Gould tonproduce a text which is neither verynsatisfying about people nor very informativenabout fish. The novel, however, isnilluminating as a specimen of that modishnand trendy pretense to, even Craving for, annencompassing, all-explaining metaphor, sonfrantically sought by most of the womennWriters of our time. It is one more pursuit ofnan allegory which ultimately will tell bothnhow victimized and how powerful womennare. They insist on having it both ways.n—John Glass, Jr.nMr. Glass, a student of medieval morals andnmanners, teaches English literature at RockfordnCollege.n”Startling original, beautifully written —and important. Plunge into the eye of Lois Gould’snstorm . . . you will feel her full, furious creative force.” — Chicago Tribune Book World.n”Not meant for the squeamish. Crisply written and hard-edged, it demonstrates Lois Gould’snspecial skill in selecting the solitary detail that speaks volumes.” — The New York Times BooknReview…n”Gould’s treatment of character is, ironic and insightful, and the book is sharply andndramatically written.” —Booklist.n”An extremely accomplished writer, Gould . . . portrays problems of male-female conflictsnwhose public discussion is a more recent trend.” —America.”n”No reader will ever forget the novel’s denouement.” — Book-of-the-Month Club News.n”One is knocked down, stunned, goes compulsively on, is impressed by the artistry. Andisquieting reading about sexual power at its most violent and obsessive.” — PublishersnWeekly.nChronicles of Cultarcnnn-Un