'She spent the foggy day in endless, aimless walking, for it seemed to her that if she moved quickly enough she would escape the fear that hunted her. It was a vague and shadowy fear of something cruel and stupid that had caught her and would never let her go.'
First published in 1928, Jean Rhys's debut novel Quartet remains a masterful work of autobiographical fiction.
Set during interwar Paris, Quartet follows the young Marya Zelli, who is left stranded and alone once her husband, Stephan, is arrested for selling stolen artwork. Before long, Marya is taken in by an older, sophisticated couple: the eccentric but friendly Heidler and his wife, Lois. But what appears as an innocent offer of support, soon curdles into emotional manipulation, forced dependency and tragic attempts at keeping up appearances… Based on Rhys's own tumultuous affair with her literary mentor, Ford Madox Ford, Quartet is a profoundly intimate portrait of vulnerability, forbidden desire and quiet betrayal. Jean Rhys (1890 – 1979) was a novelist. Raised in the Caribbean Island of Dominica, she resided mainly in England from the age of sixteen. Her work is famed for its modernist techniques, fragmented narratives and focus on the emotional lives of her – often marginalised – characters. In 1978 Rhys was appointed a CBE for her writing.
