Descent tells the story of Genevieve O'Dowd and the events of the last decade of the 20th century in her own words.
Written as a narrative to her husband Mark, the novel dispels her fears, her humour and her ultimate tragedy as she battles the rigmaroles and routines of her daily life.
Working as a psychiatric nurse and juggling her time between work and being a good wife, mother and daughter, her ambitions are often quashed through the expectations of those around her and society.
Although essentially she is an ordinary woman with normal desires and failures, her tale is ultimately very tragic and the reader, though endeared to her, feels intrusive and unsettled with the intimate nature of the book. A cleverly written book, Sabrina Broadbent manages to bring the reader wholeheartedly into the life of Genevieve, highlighting and questioning the roles of women, the changing values of society, the rationale of insanity and the magnitude of family life.
Descent by Sabrina Broadbent is published by Vintage priced £6.99.
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