Athena and Dexter lead an enclosed family life, innocent of fashion and bound towards a disturbed child. Their comfortable rut is disrupted by the arrival of Elizabeth, a tough nut from Dexter's past, with her three charming, chaotic hangers-on. In the upheaval Athena sees a way out: it leads into a world whose casual egotism she has dreamed of without being able to imagine its consequences. Book discussion notes available at the same call number.