An Unsuitable Attachment

"An Unsuitable Attachment" is a novel by Barbara Pym, written in 1963 and published posthumously in 1982.

This novel is notable as being the first of Pym's novels to be rejected by publishers after she had established herself as a novelist. This began a period in the literary "wilderness" which ended only in 1978, shortly before the author's death. The reason for the book's initial rejection appears to be that its theme was considered old-fashioned in the cultural climate of the early 1960s.

ynopsis

The plot concerns librarian Ianthe Broome, a well-bred young woman left in comfortable circumstances by her late parents. There is no shortage of "suitable" candidates for Ianthe's hand, notably Rupert Stonebird. It surprises no one more than Ianthe herself when she falls for the new library assistant, a young man of doubtful antecedents with no money to spare. Some of the action takes place against the backdrop of Rome, where Ianthe and a group of other churchgoers are taking a sightseeing holiday. Being apart from John makes Ianthe realise how much she really cares for him, and on her return she agrees to his proposal, scandalizing her friends and family.

Pym later said that she had originally intended John to be a "much worse" character. It is difficult for a modern audience to see what Ianthe's friends find so objectionable about him, and the idea that an independent professional woman might be put off by other people's opinions had become less acceptable even at the time Pym wrote the book. Nowadays it tends to be seen as a period piece.