The theme of this story is envy between two siblings, with the idea of good versus evil inserted in the actions of the characters. This seemingly psychological story takes place, at first, in the minds of its characters to sprout into grave consequences later. The narrator in the story, Ruth, is the heroine who represents the evil. Meanwhile, her older adopted sibling Elizabeth represents the good. While evil aggrieves the good, it also changes its own make-up.
The story portrays the English upper class in lavish settings, with all characters possessing the same or very similar vocabulary and personal tastes. The arguments among them are mostly high-brow.
Elizabeth is Ruth's first cousin adopted by Ruth's parents after the death of Elizabeth's parents in a car crash. Ruth blames Elizabeth for stealing her parents' affection and not allowing Ruth to be the only child. All through her days, Ruth secretly wishes Elizabeth ill while waiting for a solid chance to devastate her. After they grow up, marry, and have a son each, Elizabeth's husband dies. Elizabeth marries again with a rich businessman. In the meantime, Ruth manages to steal the affections of Elizabeth's husband Charles and has an affair with him. All this she has obsessed and planned upon, in cold-blood, for years. Their adultery together with a tragic accident destroys both families. At the end, Ruth comes out with as big a loss as Elizabeth and Charles with the conjecture that when one destroys another person through envy, she loses herself and becomes partly the person she destroys.
The novel is gripping in a sudsy style, since it emphasizes strong, destructive emotions with dramatic words, even if the base of those emotions can feel empty to the reader. Then, very often, the narrator expresses herself with phrases and short sentences that sound like adages or deep thoughts. For example, when Ruth wants to destroy Elizabeth's first marriage, she thinks she needs to wait until the couple is "profoundly in love." Ruth says, "Why mar something already imperfect? It is the first crack that ruins the Ming..."
I finished reading this book in one sitting maybe because it is only 164 pages, or unbeknownst to me, I enjoy melodrama. Hart's confessional approach of telling the story in first person and her short, nearly poetic sentences give the impression of an inspirational style, which may amuse and draw in the readers; however, because of this very style, the book strays away from the maxim, "the story's the thing."
In addition, I did not find the central conflict very convincing, since Ruth's parents did everything right by both girls. In such a case, even if there could be some envy, it would not be so strong and so deadly. In other words, considering the backstory's psychological evidence, Ruth's feelings and actions are not justifiable.
Sin is in hardcover with ISBN-10: 0679416730 and ISBN-13: 978-0679416739
The author Josephine Hart is Irish. She has been the director of Haymarket publishing; she has also produced a few West End plays and made several television appearances. Her first book Damage has been adapted into a movie. Her books are: Damage, Sin, Oblivion, The Stillest Day, The Reconstructionist, and Catching life by the Throat.
Sin by Josephine Hart is a book one should read at his own risk.
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