The Price of Passion
by Evelyn PalfreyPocket Books, 384 pp., $12.95 (paper)
Vivian has all but given up on her dream of having a child — until her cad of a philandering husband, Walter, a powerful state legislator, comes home one night with a baby who looks exactly like him. Coincidence? Maybe.
The baby’s mother, Walter explains as casually as if he’d found a lost puppy, abandoned the infant at his office before skipping town and, well, so … now you’ve got that baby you’ve always wanted. See ya. Vivian, of course, is furious and protests mightily, to no avail. The more she tries to convince herself not to grow attached to the child she calls Passion, the more loving and maternal she becomes. The days pass and Vivian’s love for Passion deepens. As it happens, a new man has also entered Vivian’s life. Even though her 20-year marriage to Walter pretty much died on the vine years ago, she still dutifully adheres to her moral obligations not to stray — unlike that Don Juan husband of hers. The new man, Marc, a journalism professor at the University of Texas, is equally attracted to Vivian, but he certainly doesn’t want to risk getting involved with a married woman. He particularly doesn’t want to get mixed up with Vivian’s husband, who no doubt carries enough sway to make life difficult for him at UT.
The baby Passion, in many respects, serves as a safe centerpiece for their platonic relationship. But not for long. Soon Marc and Vivian succumb to their own passions. And oh, the passion! No man has ever loved Vivian this way, certainly not Walter. Speaking of Walter, by now he’s realized that Vivian hasn’t been around much. After Vivian refuses his demands that she return home and start acting like his wife again (it is an election season, after all), Walter ups the ante and threatens to take the baby away unless she follows through with her wifely duties. Vivian again refuses and the matter eventually carries over to the courthouse.
The story ends on a richly positive note. Getting to that point is deliciously fun, naughty, and intriguing. With Austin as the backdrop for the story, local readers will enjoy the trips to familiar haunts, watering holes, and streets around town. Drawing on her own professional insight into the underbelly of Austin crime, courts, and politics (the author is a municipal court judge in real life), Palfrey effectively spins a tale of romance, red-hot sex, and mystery. The end result is a thriller of a novel that will keep you turning the pages long past your appointed bedtime.
This article appears in December 8 • 2000.
