''The Story of the Weasel'' (published 1976) is the

first published novel A debut novel is the first novel a novelist publishes. Debut novels are often the author's first opportunity to make an impact on the publishing industry, and thus the success or failure of a debut novel can affect the ability of the author to pu ...

Carolyn Slaughter Carolyn Slaughter (born 7 January 1946) is an English author based in the United States. Her first novel '' The Story of the Weasel'' won the Geoffrey Faber Memorial Prize in 1977, given to authors under the age of 40. Life Born in New Delhi, ...

. It won the

Geoffrey Faber Memorial Prize The Geoffrey Faber Memorial Prize is a British literary prize established in 1963 in tribute to Geoffrey Faber, founder and first Chairman of the publisher Faber & Faber. It recognises a single volume of poetry or fiction by a United Kingdom, Iri ...

the following year. Published as ''Relations'' in the United States, it has been praised for its 'sensitive treatment of fraternal incest in Victorian England and for its subtle poetic prose'.

Plot introduction

The frame story is set in 1900

Cirencester Cirencester ( , ; see #Pronunciation, below for more variations) is a market town and civil parish in the Cotswold District of Gloucestershire, England. Cirencester lies on the River Churn, a tributary of the River Thames. It is the List of ...

as 30-year-old Catherine Roach is writing the story of her childhood in 1880s

Wandsworth Wandsworth Town () is a district of south London, within the London Borough of Wandsworth southwest of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. Toponymy Wandsworth takes its name ...

, when at the age of ten she and her brother Christopher, two years her senior, discover their late father's collection of pornography. Prompted by the discovery the siblings then start a sexual relationship which lasts for three years; coming to an end on a holiday in

Cornwall Cornwall (; or ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is also one of the Celtic nations and the homeland of the Cornish people. The county is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, ...

after which Christopher leaves home; eventually emigrating to South Africa. Catherine writes the story in order to come to terms with the damage the relationship caused her and her brother.

Reception

*Peggy Barber in '' The Daily News'' writes 'Slaughter's portrayal of incest as beautiful and innocent is convincing - no easy task. For it's only when the taboo is forced upon Catherine's consciousness that the possibility of evil enters her mind and incest exacts a strong penalty.Daily News - Dec 2, 1977
Retrieved 2012-12-20. *The back cover of the 1977 Panther Books edition quotes a number of reviews including:- **''

The Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. First published in 1791, it is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper. In 1993 it was acquired by Guardian Media Group Limited, and operated as a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' ...

'' : 'A highly charged, intense and powerful story, with an eroticism which...comes from unspoken tremors as much as from what is made explicit...skilfully moving' **''

Sunday Times ''The Sunday Times'' is a British Sunday newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of N ...

'': 'Impressively accomplished first novel... The style is perfectly suited' **''

Sunday Telegraph ''The Sunday Telegraph'' is a British broadsheet newspaper, first published on 5 February 1961 and published by the Telegraph Media Group, a division of Press Holdings. It is the sister paper of ''The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegr ...

'': This strange little gothic tale, with its episodes of sadism, madness and self-mutilation, shows a genuine originality'

References

External links

Kirkus Review
1976 British novels English Gothic novels Fiction set in 1900 Novels set in the 1880s Novels set in the 1900s Novels set in Gloucestershire Novels set in Cornwall Novels set in London Fiction about self-harm Fiction about incest Cirencester 1976 debut novels {{1970s-gothic-novel-stub