This is Gordon's most tightly-focused novel, a study of the conflicting roles of contemporary motherhood. The question raised by this narrative is never answered: Can a woman be both a "good" mother and satisfy her own psychological need for a demanding career?

Gordon's protagonist Anne Foster is an art historian commissioned to write the catalog for an exhibit of turn-of-the century artist Caroline Watson, an imaginary figure resembling American expatriate artist Mary Cassatt. In order to complete her project, Anne hires a nanny, Laura Post, to care for her children. While Anne is intuitively repelled by Laura's personality, she can find no specific fault in her care of the house and children. The reader understands early in the story, however, that Laura is a religious fanatic and poses a potential danger to Anne's children.

Anne Foster's attempt to balance the demands of motherhood with those of...