Intimate Strangers

In the 70's, the Nixon years, the advent of the feminist movement and the aftermath of the 60's shape a young creative generation. Four major characters are Polly Starfish, a 28 year old dancer, Greg Hartman, a professor of History in a small southern college, Theo Shepherd, a professor at Columbia University and group therapist, and his wife Audrey, a graphic designer and potter. Each character is impacted by the announcement that Polly is pregnant. There is plenty of bed sharing in the early chapters. Unspoken and unresolved emotions grip all the characters. Audrey sees Greg Hartman as "solid and bearish." Her husband, Theo, sees him as rather thick and stolid. Greg loves Polly but is uncertain she will stay around. Audrey is torn between becoming a mother or a serious potter. She hasn't been pregnant after seven years of marriage and worries about her fertility. And she is a friend to Greg, and envious of Polly. Theo displays many pretentions yet is also quite insecure. Polly wants a baby, but who's the father? Is Polly really pregnant? The actions of other characters are interwoven into Polly's world. Her friend Melanie has had two kids already, yet her life in Park Slope seems boring. Manuel wants to paint Polly. Edna Rosen, a flamboyant woman who may be a lesbian, has an erotic encounter with Polly. The Drapkins, a couple connected with the college, become important to Greg and Polly. Jessica, who works for Greg at the college, seems to be critical of Polly. And over Christmas Polly and Greg visit their parents in St. Louis - and quickly leave.