The Reef

About The Reef The Reef by American author Edith Wharton is a book of literary fiction first published in 1912 in the US. ‘Some day she would find the magic bridge between West Fifty-fifth Street and life; once or twice she had even fancied that the clue was in her hand. The first time was when she had met young Darrow. She recalled even now the stir of the encounter. But his passion swept over her like a wind that shakes the roof of the forest without reaching its still glades or rippling its hidden pools. He was extraordinarily intelligent and agreeable, and her heart beat faster when he was with her.’ The Reef follows Anna Leath, previously married but now widowed, and George Darrow, a young diplomat, who have plans to marry. But both have misgivings about their relationship, with unforeseen consequences, and the deftly crafted narrative describes the repercussions of a casual sexual betrayal on the lives of four Americans in France. The interactions of the characters, two of whom are innocent and two of whom are burdened with knowledge and a sense of urgency, are constructed with the emotional turmoil and the social conventions of the day kept in fine balance. Written at the height of her literary prowess, and published in 1912, Wharton imbues the entire story with a clear and keen insight into both the potentials and the challenges of human love.