explore themes of “obsession, withdrawal and the relationship of individuals to both society and nature.” Style Though it has a plot, The Whirlpool has a prose poem density. Jane Urquhart's work is notable for its focus on passionate and dreamy characters haunted by lively imaginations. Background Urquhart lost her partner, Paul Keele, in a car accident in 1973 when she was only twenty-four. Keele's death spurred Urquhart to return to school: "I wanted to study art history, partly to honour him and partly to be near a number of friends we had made while we lived in and around Guelph." The experience of loss at such a young age shaped Urquhart's writing, particularly The Whirlpool, whose protagonist, Fleda, is similarly a young widow. "I think the fact that Paul died when he did, when we were both so young, allowed me to remember what it was like to experience such a devastating loss early in life, as my characters do in this book," she explains. References 1986 Canadian novels Novels by Jane Urquhart Canadian historical novels Fiction set in 1889 Novels set in the 1880s New Canadian Library 1986 debut novels McClelland & Stewart books