What about what she wanted? If you don't want to know what happens in All He Ever Wanted, by Anita Shreve, please do not read!

As avid readers of my blog will know, I'm currently reading All he ever wanted, by Anita Shreve.

...and now I've finished it.

I don't think I have ever felt so disgusted by a protagonist in a book before. Van Tassel is a man of such self-deceit, such insiduous evil, that I'm going to have to give the book away rather than have him in my house for too long. His numerous episodes of hypocrisy, deceit and manipulation degrade his moral character and increase in ruthlessness, cruelty and brutality as his tale unfolds.

His wife is caged by her circumstances. It is 1899 when they marry, and her choice is stark: either become the near-servant of her sister and brother in law, or become the wife of a man she doesn't love and never will. She agrees to the marriage because she thinks she will then at least have the 'freedom' to run her own household and bring up children. In the end, however, Van Tassel's jealousy and desire to possess her entirely meant that she is not able to partake of even the small spaces of liberty she starts to create for herself.

The prejudices and attitudes of the time (1899-1933, with the main story set between 1899-1914 (?)) are well in evidence, played out particularly through the the character of Van Tassel. He is misogynistic and racist, although his attempts at corruption through racism are countered (however, he eventually brings about the downfall of his 'enemy' by corrupting his own daughter). The hypocrisy evident in Van Tassel is all too reminiscent of the society of the time, when it was perfectly acceptable for a man to have had previous lovers or even been with prostitutes, but not for a woman to have been anywhere near a man, to name but one example.

The most disturbing feature of Van Tassel's particular evil is that he himself seems to be so full of self-deceit that he seriously believes that, most of the time, he is the wronged party. As a person, a man, of his time this is perhaps somewhat understandable. However, the way he twists perceived wounds (mainly in his own mind, caused by his own jealous and possessive nature) to defend his dispicable actions is sickening. A truly repellent man.

Fly away Etna, fly away...