Introduction
Innocence has its own special beauty, all the more precious to us because it is so easily tarnished. The betrayal of the pure has long been a favorite theme in literature, and it is beautifully dealt with in his novel by one of our most sensitive authors.
Set in the seamy subculture of the world of carnivals, this is the story of Lily Wharton, an innocent runaway whom life betrays at every turn. Deserted by her father, battered by her mother, Lily runs away to New York in the hope of finding a better life. Unable to find a job, penniless and despairing, she becomes the captive of a crazed group of carnival freaks.
Like Candide, Lily is a believer in life and in love, despite the grim reality that continually makes a mockery of her faith. And she is forced, as well, to come to grips with the baser aspects of her own nature. At first she is held physically captive by the strange group of people who have taken her prisoner for the purpose of satisfying their own lustful desires. But she soon finds she is not merely their prisoner, but rather a prisoner of her own physical desires.
Yet this story has a surprise ending which can redeem for all of us a faith in love and the possibility of human fulfillment.