Cirrus@Austlit

'It takes Mrs. Elizabeth MacArthur over two hundred pages to find the room of leaves. This space, carved for herself and her lover, is a physical space of safety and authenticity, but throughout the novel, Elizabeth pursues her authentic self through moments of feeling. We first see Elizabeth comfortable with herself as a child helping her grandfather with sheep and in the winks of queerness between her and her friend Bridie—which, as a queer writer and reader, I appreciate. I enjoyed Elizabeth's narrative pursuing a sense of self and navigating what that means to her in each situation she is forced into. When she meets MacArthur, she chases his advances not because he is worthy of her or for any hopes of romance but because in the moment of ecstasy, she experiences a euphoria of self and control that intoxicates her. Unfortunately, this moment ties her to MacArthur as wife. The novel does not shy away from the dismal historical reality of life as an orphan, losing her grandfather's respect, and being married to a callous man.' 

(Introduction)