Saskia answers “Has anyone actually noticed that the girl...”

Sean Redding asked this question about On Chesil Beach:

Has anyone actually noticed that the girl is actually asexual? I seriously feel like everyone has overlooked that.

Saskia I agree with many of the comments about the hint of sexual abuse by Florence's father, and also social mores of the times and Denise's observation tha…moreI agree with many of the comments about the hint of sexual abuse by Florence's father, and also social mores of the times and Denise's observation that partners are usally not immediately responsive to each other.

What I'd like to add is that I feel that the dynamic between Florence and Edward plays a part too. Edward is very keen to progress their sexual lifes, and Florence would like to take things slower. And this dynamic seems to propel them into their roles of the one who wants sex, and the one who doens't. There is no room for Florence to takes things slower, and both of them are unable to talk aobut it. At one point in their wedding night, Florence is thinking she'd like to stay like this for a bit longer and seems to be actually enjoying that part of their physical exploration. At at flashback in time, she also says she's always the one having to say 'no'. And on the other side, Edward seems to have overstepped boundaries too quickly at some instances (with Florence jumping up in the cinema etc) .

This dynamic keeps Florence on edge, and forced into a role of slowing things down. And Edward always being the one pushing.
When Florence, as the slowest moving partner in their relationship, would have been allowed to set the pace, I do believe they would have ended up both enjoying their sexual relationship. There are hints in the book that Florence does feel sexual arousal -for example the scene with the pubic hair-, but the pace seems so fast, (perhaps because of her sexual abuse history). (less)

flag

About Goodreads Q&A

Ask and answer questions about books!

You can pose questions to the Goodreads community with Reader Q&A, or ask your favorite author a question with Ask the Author.

See Featured Authors Answering Questions

Learn more