Peyton Place is constructed through overlapping individual biographies arranged roughly along a chronological continuum with ample margins provided for flashbacks and often lengthy asides from the direct unfolding of the story of Allison MacKenzie's life and maturation. This method provides for the distinct characterizations which distinguish the novel, although since the blocks of stories are carefully linked, there is little discontinuity in the plot. The asides and often extended biographical detail and history add immeasurably to the background texture of the environment that creates a density often missing in works of popular fiction where surface tensions are frequently suspended over a void.

Just as her technique for constructing the novel gives it substance and variety, so too does the author's use of sex and profanity form a secondary function beyond the usual values of shock and titillation. The direct language seems to announce the presence of a different...