Emi B. (wantonvolunteer) -
Elizabeth Bowen's The Death of the Heart, published in 1939, is the story of 16-year old Portia, who upon being orphaned, is sent to the home of her half-brother Thomas and his wife Anna. On the surface, Thomas is well-to-do and quite respected, as is his wife. Although he and Portia were both fathered by the same man, Thomas's good mother was the first wife in the proper stable London home; whereas Portia's mother was the mistress and eventual second wife, who raised her in common hotels all over Europe. Elegance and style prove to be no substitute for goodness and morals, and the innocently naive Portia is wiser than the self-centered grownups who are meant to look after her. My favorite character is Matchett the family's maligned yet loyal workhorse of a housekeeper.
