On a sunny summerafternoon Louise sits near the bar at Shepherds, thinking that a man who has already made eye-contact will come over and start a conversation.  In stead another man tells her to have a drink elsewhere, and an hour later he has taken her on a bench in a park.  This is the start of her strange relationship with Richard Gordon, a relationship that doesn't seem to have any passion, they don't kiss, they don't hug, but also a relationship full of his sexual domination over her.  And right from the start she felt a deep satisfaction each time he dominated her again, almost heartlessly.

Gordon's need to posess her whenever he wants evolves to wherever he wants as well.  That this causes embarrassing moments for her is of no concern.  Being a psychiatrist, at the same time he more and more helps her discover the strings that pull her, though to her it never becomes completely clear.

The first-person narrative, though it often narrates about feelings, gives the whole story a very detached atmosphere.  And at the same time this first-person view helps us understand better what joys one can experience from what in my view is a pretty abusive relationship.  Yet, I don't feel contempt for Gordon, nor pity for Luisa, certainly since the abuse is not what this relationship is all about.

One could wonder who's using who.  Whether Gordon enjoys the sex is not clear, Louise certainly doesn't, but still it satisfies both.  And when he interrogates her -I can't use "conversate" in this context- here too, though she doesn't really understand where his interrogations lead to, both get satisfaction out of it.

Those looking for a juicy sex story should look elsewhere.  Here and there the book even sounds a little outdated - it is from 1966, and it was promptly banned, it wasn't until 2003 even that Edith Templeton decided to have it published with her real name since the story is supposed to be rather autobiographical.  Then what should you expect?  An intriguing peek "behind the scenes" in a sadomasochistic relationship maybe.  A relationship of which you wonder where it will lead to, but of which you know it cannot last forever.  And though Gordon is clearly dominating Louisa, the subdued struggle for power makes it a fascinating read.