Valerie Martin Critical Essay | Critical Review by Mark Gold

SOURCE: "The Great Divide," in New Statesman & Society, Vol. 7, No. 314, August 5, 1994, p. 37.

In the following, Gold favorably reviews The Great Divorce, describing it as "balanced, truthful, and compelling," and nothing its focus on destruction and conflict.

The Great Divorce contains numerous references to the destruction humanity has wrought upon the natural world—polluted rivers, urban decay, habitat destruction, endangered species, the "whole aisles of poisonous cleaning products" and "solid walls of meat" in "nightmare" supermarkets, fast-food franchises, and the decimation of rain forests for hamburger culture. It is partly set in a city zoo, where two of the three main characters are employed. Ellen is a vet occupied in trying to curb a mystery virus and Camille is a keeper of the big cats, to whom she feels closer than to any human. Yet despite these and similar themes, the exploration of human/natural relationships remains...
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