Customer Reviews

Gentle Stranger

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I have to disagree strongly with the reviewer who claimed that this story lacks credibility. In point of fact, it has enormous credibility. In times of loss and grief, people are prone to do things that later they can scarcely believe they did. That is precisely the case in Gentle Stranger when, in the grip of overwhelming sorrow at the loss of her only child, the heroine goes into the arms of a man she doesn't know, seeking comfort and forgetfulness. Given that this book was written almost twenty-five years ago, it was very forward-thinking for the era. As is true of most of Allen's novels, she was dealing with important women's issues at a time when only "literary" novels purported to offer serious perspectives on matters such as rape. In some ways, this novel has a timeless aspect. And it still holds up well, even after all this time.

Emma is attacked, raped and brutally beaten on the streets, and moments after her attackers fled, she was found by a passing stranger, Phil Aylmer. She is incoherent and distraught but is afraid to go to the police, so Phil Aylmer takes her home to clean her up and tend to her wounds. He calls her mother, Jacqueline Evannier, who comes over immediately. Sadly, Emma dies in her mother's arms. Jacqueline is grief stricken and turns to the arms of Phil for consolation and their grief quickly turns to passion.

Over the next few days during the funeral preparations, Jacqueline becomes more and more dependent on Phil, who is 13 years younger than her, and he quickly professes his love. She thinks she loves him also, but realizes that she is in no condition to commit to any sort of relationship with him. Jacqueline is a former ballerina who was also scarred and traumatized by a rape 10 years earlier. She decides to push for more compassionate handling of rape victims and enlists the support of an old friend, Viktor, in this quest.

The relationship between Jacqueline and Phil seems highly improbable, and I was never actually convinced that it would work out. The theme of older woman, younger man appears in other novels by this author, but in this case it seems implausible. Jacqueline eventually sorts out her feelings for Phil, and starts to realize some success in her campaign for rape victims' rights.

The characters aren't as finely crafted, empathetic and believable in this novel as in other of Allen's novels, but there are lessons to be learned in the handling of rape victims and the healing power of love.