What is certainly exceptional in Waters' novel is the care she uses in depicting the lesbian relationship. By creating a innocent, honest and open-minded central character in Nan, the reader is able to nearly take this provocative journey of self-discovery along with the main character instead of viewing it from the standpoint of an outsider. With sensitivity and an intimate perspective of the relationship through Nan's viewpoint, Waters is able to take some of the sting out of a relationship that might be difficult to understand by some. Nan is paralleled with Kitty, the character who questions her true identity.
Lavish detailed descriptions evoke a realistic quality, such as describing the warm of her love interest's clothing and the sensuality in her manner. Comparisons between the societal difficulties of homosexual relationship during the Victorian era and present day immediately and effortlessly spring to mind. One questions if a relationship of this nature would be so simplistic in the 1890's?
Water chose a most erotic, yet almost common topic for the opening of the novel-- oysters. The satirical plot of a person of low social class attempting to survive in a corrupt society has been seen in other bildungsromans we have read this semester. We have no overtly evil characters yet. It seems that our characters are forced to deal with their inner demons as a motivation to develop in this work.
Nan seems to be experiencing infatuation with Kitty during the first part of the novel. We are learning to understand her almost completely through her relationships with others. It will be interesting to see the other types of loves she experiences as the novel progresses.
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