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Reviews
Inspired by the reign of the Yorkshire Ripper, it raised a theme that would later rear its head in the media coverage of the Ipswich murders - how the serial killer is often mythologised with a label, whereas the women are just "prostitutes". Despite its black humour, it is a deeply political book
Mrs. Barker's feminist argument is clear enough - sexual violence puts all women at risk, there are no ''good'' women and ''bad'' women, the victim of a sex crime is herself treated as a criminal
Barker's talent for gently sifting through the hidden depths of the human psyche is awesome
A courageous and disturbing novel
Barker's creative vision is as in touch with the psychologically primordial as Melville's
Swift, spare, and utterly absorbing ... [Barker] makes us see her characters from within ... and thereby reveals the full individuality and humanity of women who have got short shrift both in literature and in life
