Set on Edge

by Bernice Rubens

"I'll see to myself when the others are seen to" is what Gladys used to say. The martyr of the family, she brought up her four younger siblings — with a little help from their mother. And then, one by one, Miriam, Brina, Benny and Sol flew the family coop to find partners of their own. They tried and failed, to find one for Gladys. Even Gladys herself cast around for the temptation she hoped to fall prey to. And suddenly, at the age of sixty, Gladys became a bride. The result was apalling...

222 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1972

About the author

Bernice Rubens was born in Cardiff, Wales in July 1928. She began writing at the age of 35, when her children started nursery school. Her second novel, Madame Sousatzka (1962), was filmed by John Schlesinger filmed with Shirley MacLaine in the leading role in 1988. Her fourth novel, The Elected Member, won the 1970 Booker prize. She was shortlisted for the same prize again in 1978 for A Five Year Sentence. Her last novel, The Sergeants’ Tale, was published in 2003. She was an honorary vice-president of International PEN and served as a Booker judge in 1986. Bernice Rubens died in 2004 aged 76.

Reviews

[John Newcomb · Rating 3 out of 5]

A disfunctional family goes through love and hate, births, marriages and deaths. The torn relationship between a mother and her eldest daughter is comically charactured and examined.

[Lynn · Rating 1 out of 5]

These characters were unlikeable and uninteresting. They are a family of bitter, controlling people, but although the story was bleak, it missed being tragic because the awfulness was completely ordinary and avoidable.