I was in need of a light read with some depth to it. 'Splitting" fitted the bill perfectly. The young and beautiful Lady Angelica Rice (nee Lamb) is freshly separated from her husband of eight years, Lord Rice. Holed up in five star comfort at London's Claremont Hotel, (the bill for which is paid by her unsuspecting husband's company while he, lax in the extreme in matters financial ((and otherwise)), wonders where she has gone to ground). From here, Lady Rice licks her wounds and wallows in the ruins of her life. She spends hours at a time in bed, weeping uncontrollably. However, deep inside her being, there's a rebellion taking place. Lady Rice may be a product of her marriage, but previous personas are clamouring to re-emerge..This is not a story of a true split personality. All personas remain aware of their own actions and those of the others. In fact, they discuss each other and can be highly critical, tolerant or even compassionate towards one another. She is, in her own words, perforated, not split. Already on the scene when we first meet Lady Rice, is her alter-ego, Jelly Lamb. Efficient, resourceful, manipulative and vengeful, Jelly has already found a job as assistant to her husband's lawyer. From this position, she is able to engineer outcomes to suit her interests. But who's interests is she serving? Sometimes, Lady Rice's need for restitution are met, sometimes Jelly's own need for control. Another alter-ego, is Angelica, who insists on maintaining 'standards' (she is the voice of reason) And then there's the lusty Angel whose carnal urges (much to the disgust of all the other personas) are prone to lead to sordid little trysts.Oh, and be aware that these are only the main players, others make cameo appearances.So who holds the majority stake in the primary being? Why does the answer to that question seem to change? And where have they come from? (hint: the name of each persona was adopted at a different life stage and was bestowed by a man or a paternalistic social construct). And what universal truths are being explored here? Fay Weldon is after all a famously feminist author. Will the personalities merge in the end? Will vengeance be had? You will need to read the book to answer the questions ... and it's worth taking the time to do so.
