Hugger Mugger Summary
Robert B. Parker

Hugger Mugger Summary

As Lord Acton correctly pointed out, absolute power corrupts absolutely, and although the Clives do not have absolute power, they are nonetheless almost totally corrupt. Penny's sisters, SueSue and Stonie, spend their time trying to seduce strangers for fun, and their husbands Pud and Cord, respectively, are equally immoral, Pud being an alcoholic who indulges his sexual appetites with prostitutes and Cord being a pederast. These perversions obviously contrast with the unshakable, long-lasting love shared by Spenser and Susan Silverman, two very different people who fit together like yang and yin. Quoting Shakespeare's Sonnet 116, Spenser points out to Penny, "Love is not love which alters when it alteration finds." He is also fond of telling people that his name is spelled like that of the English poet Edmund Spenser. These references to poetry and romance are integral to his character and point up one of the main themes...

(read more from the Short Guide)