The two begin to indulge in a sadomasochistic relationship where Joshua will appear for a rough session of sex and then disappear for months on end.

Eventually Rachel begins to question the relationship, especially after reading about the kidnapping and rape of a young girl, complete with a composite sketch that greatly resembles Joshua.

[7] In contrast, The New York Times panned the novel as being "uninspired" and commented that the author "lectures rather than lets the reader experience.

"[8] The Washington Post heavily criticized the book, which they saw as a "sad day for feminism" due to the depiction of the relationship between Rachel and Joshua, and that they would "almost trade back Title IX and Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor if I could be sure that not one reader would come away from this book believing that women (not to mention feminists) really degrade themselves and each other the way the women of this novel do.

"[9] Dr Doris McIlwain commented on the book's characters, stating that Diski uses the characters' "failure to show proper feelings, and certain unlikely continuances in courses of action" to highlight the monstrosity of the book's plot, where Joshua rapes a child.