How It Was

This book is about to set events in motion that she cannot control in a story of unfulfilled dreams and domestic frustration. The novel begins with the discovery of the bodies of two women in the home of one of the villagers, and explores

This is the story of a marriage, told from the point of view of the wife. Marion is a mother and wife living in a small village in rural Kent during the 1970s, when it’s not uncommon for a woman to stay at home and raise her children while her husband works. She spends most of her time with her children, but one night she sneaks out to go to a party with a friend. There, she meets someone who changes her life forever.

In “The Little Stranger,” Sarah Waters’ fourth novel, we are taken on a journey through history and into the minds of the people living in this small village. We learn about the changes that take place over time, and we watch as Marion slowly sheds herself of the life she has always known and embraces a new identity.

Waters is an award-winning author known for writing historical fiction that explores themes of gender, sexuality, class, and race. Her previous novels have been praised for their style and originality, so it’s no surprise she delivers again with this latest book. The story is engaging from page one and builds slowly as Waters takes us through Marion’s life—from her earliest years to where she is now.

In a friendly tone: In the early 1970s, a woman named Marion Deacon lives in a small village in Kent, England. She’s married to a man she loves and shares two children with him, but she feels like her life is meaningless. She has no friends, apart from her sister-in-law Faye, whom she sees rarely because their husbands are best friends. She doesn’t really do anything of note in her spare time, and when she’s not taking care of her family or doing chores around the house, she’s usually just sitting around and watching TV.