Adrienne

Adrienne is the protagonist of the narrative. She is the daughter of Malabar and Paul, sister to Peter, and stepdaughter of Charles and Ben. When Adrienne is 14 years old, she becomes entangled with her mother and her mother's new lover Ben. During a summer at the family Cape Cod cottage, Malabar and Ben begin an affair. They solicit Adrienne's help in concocting their plans to be together, demanding she keep their secret. So desperate to be close to her charismatic and unpredictable mother, Adrienne willingly agrees. For over 10 years, Adrienne keeps their secret.

However, she is plagued by guilt. She feels she is wronging her stepfather Charles, her brother, Ben's wife Lily, and later, her husband and Ben's son, Jack. Yet Adrienne never blames her mother for her guilt. Knowing how much Malabar has suffered and lost throughout her life, Adrienne believes she deserves any happiness she...