The central theme of Possession is…well…possession, in various forms – the need for people to own something, or someone. I found myself – on numerous occasions – foregoing a sleep-in so I could continue reading, and my bedside lamp was turned off later and later at the opposite end of the day. Then suddenly, a quarter of the way through, it became a compulsive read the plot suddenly became captivating, intriguing, beguiling…it was like reading a crime-thriller novel, and I was desperate to turn each page. It took me a while to really get into it I found the characters insipid and uninspiring, and the setting of the background information seemed to plod along at snails’ pace. I had no pre-conceived ideas about this book, having heard nothing about it before, and therefore didn’t know what I was expecting…but it certainly wasn’t this. As other academics become aware of the existence of the letter, Roland is caught in a race to discover the full story, which will alter the face of academic research forever. As he tries to unravel the mystery behind the letter and the woman it was meant for, Roland realises that this could change the way people think about the poet, his works, and his private life. He stumbles upon some previously-unread drafts of what sound like a love letter – written to someone other than Ash’s wife.

It’s 1986, and self-proclaimed “failed” academic Roland Michell is doing some routine research work into poet Randolph Henry Ash.

Possession as byatt review