The Game

A Novel

By: A. S. Byatt

Narrated by: Wanda McCaddon

When they were little girls, Cassandra and Julia played a game in which they entered an alternate world modeled on the landscapes of Arthurian romance. Now, the sisters are grown and have become hostile strangers—until a figure from their past, a man they once both loved and suffered over, reenters their lives. It is the skittish, snake-obsessed Simon who draws Julia and Cassandra into his charismatic orbit … and into menacing proximity to each other, their discarded selves, and the game that neither of them has completely forgotten. What ensues is both shocking and as inevitable as a classical tragedy.

©1967 A. S. Byatt (P)1993 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

“Byatt is a gifted observer, able to discern the exact details that bring whole worlds into being.” ( New York Times Book Review)

Sad story, unlikeable characters

Would you try another book from A. S. Byatt and/or Wanda McCaddon?

I had loved Possession, so I had high hopes for this one but was disappointed.

What was most disappointing about A. S. Byatt’s story?

This is the story of deep conflict between two sisters, but neither was a sympathetic character, and the story dragged. I did listen to all of it, but almost gave up half-way through. It is one of her earlier works, and undoubtedly reflects the well-known conflict between Byatt and her sister, Margaret Drabble.