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Title: Minimal, Dark and Disturbing
Review: Unlike some of the other reviewers I have not seen Damage, or read Josephine Hart's other books. I came to it with an open mind.It is a dark tale of a woman's obsession with her beautiful adopted older sister, and her resentment and growing hate for the beautiful, tall and lean, blond Elizabeth. The prose is precise and jagged. At time disjointed, but always beautiful.I found the description of Ruth's stealing personal items from her sister and squirreling them away and bringing them out later as fetishes when the need took her, piquantly sordid.The Lake incident was heartbreaking and I had to stop reading and compose myself. Tragedy follows tragedy and we see Ruth gradually taking on the identity of Elizabeth. Disturbing at times, eventually becoming an emotional car smash that one continues to read in utter fascination.
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