Vassar graduates Mathilde and Lancelot “Lotto” Satterwhite marry, aged 22, following a two-week love affair. Fates and Furies charts their 24-year torrid relationship in a story of two discrete parts; the first half is devoted to Lotto’s perspective, before Groff switches to Mathilde’s version of events in a clever subversion of the reader’s expectations.
There is enough betrayal, vengeance and inadvertent sex with family members for Fates and Furies to read like one of the Greek tragedies it references throughout. There are plenty of interesting themes at play – questions about art, self-delusion and self-perception – but the novel struggles to engage with its characters. While intricately constructed, as a study of marriage, families and the fates and furies that compel individuals’ actions, the story lacks the psychological insight and rounded character portrayals that might have transformed it from an intellectually interesting novel to an outstanding one.
