The floodplain

the long version

Set in 1970s America, an era that challenged sexual and cultural norms, Anthony Robinson's novel tells the story of Professor Rick Forester, his wife Chloe and their two children, whose lives are forever changed when Chloe, a fledgling psychotherapist, becomes romantically entangled with her mentor, the charismatic psychiatrist Dr. Evan Kendrix. Kendrix, a leading interpreter of techniques in humanistic psychology, lures Chloe with promises of success and an exciting new life. Rick watches helplessly as his wife becomes increasingly involved with Kendrix. When Chloe discovers Kendrix's true nature he is a flagrant manipulator of women she falls into a steep emotional decline. Rick takes action at last. In the last part of the narrative, events culminate in a murder and a trial. The themes of action and inaction, guilt and innocence, are played out, and in the end Rick Forrester comes to terms with himself.