The Secret Places of the Heart

https://fromtheheartofeurope.eu/the-secret-places-of-the-heart-by-h-g-wells/

I’m trawling through the bottom end of H.G. Wells’ novels, and this one is not particularly good. The protagonist (rather obviously Wells himself) goes on a road trip with his psychiatrist to try and sort out his feelings about his wife (Jane Wells) and his lover (Rebecca West), and while exploring the West of England he meets a charming American (Margaret Sanger) with whom he eventually starts an affair. The book is rather short but seemed to go on for ever. In some of his other novels, Wells captures emotion and love rather well, but not here. The ending is particularly weak. Adam Roberts thinks much the same as me (for once) but at much greater show more length.

There are some rather good descriptions of Avebury, Stonehenge and other tourist attractions, which are among the book’s redeeming features, and the protagonist has a very silly Fawlty moment of beating up his car after it has broken down. But you can really skip this. show less

Starts a bit slow - an industrialist comes to a doctor complaining of odd ailments and they journey together to try and uncover the sources of his illness. But I was fascinated by how much Wells used this novel to reveal deeper pyscholigical truths, about himself, but maybe about all of us. Also, some great female characters. Sometimes I think Wells didn't even know how much of a feminist he really was.