Becoming

Rating:
Summary: Very ahead of its time
Review: For a book that was written in 1978, it's nothing less than remarkable how very timely this novel is. Certainly, it's indicative of the fact that, despite the gains women have made, the moves forward have been in very small increments. Dealing with several issues (pornography, divorce, loneliness) Allen takes us along with Sidonie Graham on a journey of self discovery that is alternately disturbing and invigorating. It is, in essence, a learning experience, in the course of which the heroine finds that there are far worse things in life than being alone/single. Refreshingly, the author refrains from tying everything up in shiny ribbons at the end and sending her heroine off, hand-in-hand, with a new partner. Rather, Sidonie goes forward with new fondness for and awareness of herself. A novel with quirky characters and an unpredictable plot-line, yet again author Allen takes us down a memorable road. Each of her books is different; each is a thoughtful study of human potential. That is, perhaps, why she is not a household name. But she deserves to be. This is yet another insightful examination of yet another of Allen's unique, forgivably flawed, heroines.