The novel is a dark coming of age narrative,[1] which juxtaposes realistic semi-autobiographical accounting of life, with sections of subconscious wanderings.
[2] According to critic Kate Zambreno, the novel was neither a popular nor critical success, leading to the publisher Jonathan Cape dropping her as one of their authors.
[2] Kirkus Review, when reviewing a 1980 reprint of the novel, called its style as having a "dreamlike quality--often beautiful but generally less effective [than her earlier work]".
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