-
Access Our
Most Anticipated
Books of 2025!
Summary | Excerpt | Reviews | Beyond the book | Read-Alikes | Genres & Themes | Author Bio
A Novel
by Kathryn Harrison
Book Reviewed by:Hypnotic, beautifully written, this mesmerizing novel explores the corrosive effect of evil – and how painful psychological truths long buried within a family can corrupt the present and, through courage and understanding, lead to healing and renewal.
Will has a good sex life with the woman he married. So why then is he
increasingly plagued by violent erotic fantasies that, were they to break out of
his imagination and into the real world, have the power to destroy not only his
family but his career? He's about to lose his grip when he attends a college
reunion and there discovers evidence of a past sexual betrayal, one serious
enough that it threatens to overpower the present, even as it offers a key to
Will's dangerous obsessions.
Hypnotic, beautifully written, this mesmerizing novel by "an extremely gifted
writer" (San Francisco Chronicle) explores the corrosive effect of evil–and how
painful psychological truths long buried within a family can corrupt the present
and, through courage and understanding, lead to healing and renewal. "Like Scheherezade in the grip of a fever dream, Kathryn Harrison . . . has written
one of those rare books, in language of unparalleled beauty, that affirm the
holiness of life," said Shirley Ann Grau, about Poison. And the same can
be said about Envy.
Envy was a disappointment after The Binding Chair. Call me middle-aged but there are just so many subjects that I find more interesting than other people's sexual fantasies. However, I can see that Envy would be of appeal to many. As always, we provide an excerpt so that you can browse the book for yourself and decide if it's right for you...continued
Full Review
(193 words)
This review is available to non-members for a limited time. For full access,
become a member today.
(Reviewed by BookBrowse Review Team).
Can a book have substantial sexual content and still be considered literary? When it's written by Kathryn Harrison, some say the answer is yes, others say not on your life! She is the author of 7 novels and 5 non-fiction books, including her memoirs, The Kiss (1997), in which she describes her four year affair with her estranged father which began when she was 20, and The Mother Knot (2004), in which she goes back to her childhood with a dysfunctional mother and grandmother, and absent father. Her first ...
This "beyond the book" feature is available to non-members for a limited time. Join today for full access.
If you liked Envy, try these:
by Sarah Bird
Published 2007
While at school, Rae befriends the high school bad girl and a young flamenco guitarist. When they reach college they abandon themselves to the disciplines and demands of the university’s flamenco academy.
by Michael Cox
Published 2007
Convinced he is destined for greatness, Glyver will stop at nothing to win back a prize that he knows is rightfully his. A story of betrayal and treachery, of death and delusion, of ruthless obsession and ambition.
