The Lodger: A Novel

The Lodger follows Dorothy Richardson, a pioneering female author, as she is caught in the social upheaval of the early 20th century. The novel opens with Dorothy’s visit to an old friend, Jane, who is married to Bertie, the man who would become the popular author H.G. Wells. There is an immediate connection between Dorothy and Bertie; she soon falls in love with him. Dorothy is horribly conflicted as she is caught in the dying Victorian mores of marriage and children and her desire to be free. To some this would mean sexual independence, but Dorothy is unimpressed by sex. Bertie on the other hand is insatiable. He is a sex addict but claims he is searching for sexual and intellectual fulfillment in one woman, a desire that drives him into multiple affairs. Dorothy and Bertie’s relationship is the low point of the novel; it is nonsensical to some extent. Even though they are supposedly in love, nothing proves this electrical connection. While Ms. Treger is an accomplished novelist, the characters are not sympathetic. Dorothy’s internal psychology is fascinating, but its role in the novel is clouded by Bertie and the maelstrom of emotion he brings with him.