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A review by martydah
Looking for Mr. Goodbar by Judith Rossner
5.0
This was one of those couldn't-put-it-down novels. The feminist issues it addresses are perhaps not as fresh or as wildly political as they once were, but they are still relevant. Through Theresa, a young, outwardly nonchalant but inwardly vulnerable woman, Rossner addresses the 'battle between the sexes,' the pressure to be 'perfect' and the devastating effects of both on women like Terry in the 1970s.
Terry suffered from polio at a very young age, something that could have been lessened if her parents hadn't been so wrapped up in their grief for her older brother. Later, this illness causes a curvature of the spine which requires several surgeries to correct. Terry, who feels ugly and unloved compared to her beautiful older sister and athletic younger sister, begins to isolate herself emotionally. Her first love affair, with a manipulative, egotistical college professor, ends so painfully that she begins to starve herself.
Later, she becomes a school teacher, a job she loves, while spending her nights in bars, picking up strangers. In this way, she seeks to reassure herself that she is desirable, while at the same time avoiding emotional rejection. Paradoxically this makes her feel powerful but also bolsters her lack of self-worth. This dual role of exploiting and being exploited is by now a classic symptom of past unaddressed pain.
This is a "period piece" - some of the language and social attitudes will seem pretty old fashioned to young women today. Terry's promiscuity and lack of attention of safe sex appears not only idiotic but almost criminally negligent in the age of potentially fatal, incurable STDs and rampant sexual predators. By that token, the ending certainly comes as no surprise but it doesn't make Terry any less of a tragic figure.
Terry suffered from polio at a very young age, something that could have been lessened if her parents hadn't been so wrapped up in their grief for her older brother. Later, this illness causes a curvature of the spine which requires several surgeries to correct. Terry, who feels ugly and unloved compared to her beautiful older sister and athletic younger sister, begins to isolate herself emotionally. Her first love affair, with a manipulative, egotistical college professor, ends so painfully that she begins to starve herself.
Later, she becomes a school teacher, a job she loves, while spending her nights in bars, picking up strangers. In this way, she seeks to reassure herself that she is desirable, while at the same time avoiding emotional rejection. Paradoxically this makes her feel powerful but also bolsters her lack of self-worth. This dual role of exploiting and being exploited is by now a classic symptom of past unaddressed pain.
This is a "period piece" - some of the language and social attitudes will seem pretty old fashioned to young women today. Terry's promiscuity and lack of attention of safe sex appears not only idiotic but almost criminally negligent in the age of potentially fatal, incurable STDs and rampant sexual predators. By that token, the ending certainly comes as no surprise but it doesn't make Terry any less of a tragic figure.