First published 1997
Hector Mackilwraith teaches mathematics by day, but Shakespeare's The Tempest consumes his evenings. The local amateur theater group rehearses the play, and Hector finds himself captivated by more than just the poetry. Griselda Webster, beautiful and magnetic, commands the stage and soon commands his heart. The shy teacher discovers that love strikes as suddenly as any tempest, leaving him stirred and sleepless. But Griselda Webster moves through her own world with her own ambitions. She has mapped out plans that extend far beyond their small town theater. When Hector realizes that his devotion means nothing to her, his mathematical mind cannot solve the equation of unrequited love. Opening night arrives with all its chaos and excitement, but for Hector, the evening brings only despair. Unable to bear watching Griselda slip away forever, he makes a desperate choice that threatens to turn the theatrical evening into genuine tragedy.
Genres: fiction, drama, romance, literary-fiction, 20th-century, academic
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Tempest
Period: 20th-century
280 pages · Paperback · Penguin Canada