Perriam, Wendy

(British, 1940– )

Wendy Perriam was expelled from a strict convent school, read history at St Anne's College, Oxford, and worked in a variety of jobs including advertising before becoming a writer. Her novels are erotic, irreverent, very funny, and frequently outrageous. Certainly not for the prudish or the puritanical. After Purple (1992) explores the story of Thea Morton, desperate for sex, love, and eternal salvation. Her quest takes her from a violent relationship to pursuing a Franciscan priest to Lourdes hoping to seduce him and save her soul. In Sin City (1987) Carole Joseph and Norah Toomey meet in a psychiatric hospital. Carole wins a holiday in Las Vegas and takes along Norah who has spent her life in institutions. The pair are thrown into the sleazy world of brothels and casinos in a funny and poignant adventure.

Clare Boylan, Erica Jong, Fay Weldon  CS