Five obsessive female relationships in literature

Forsyth Harmon is the illustrator of The Art of the Affair by Catherine Lacey, and has collaborated with writers Alexander Chee, Hermione Hoby, Sanaë Lemoine, and Leslie Jamison. She is also the illustrator of the essay collection, Girlhood, by Melissa Febos. Forsyth’s work has been featured in The Believer, Tin House, Virginia Quarterly Review, and The Awl. She received an MFA from Columbia University and currently lives in New York.

Harmon's new novel is Justine.

At Lit Hub she tagged five favorite obsessive female relationships in literature, including:

Gabriella Burnham, It Is Wood, It Is Stone

Linda has just moved to São Paulo for her husband Dennis’ job, despite having planned to leave him. While Dennis is at work, Linda feels trapped inside the apartment, and her life—she feels nothing more than her husband’s wife—until she meets Celia, a charming Brazilian artist. Linda yearns for the freedom of spirit Celia seems to possess, and she begins to paint her new idol’s portrait over and over—and their connection spirals from there. Linda later explains it to her husband like this: “I was ready to grow. And I now know, this type of growth can only be learned through an emotional apprenticeship from another woman who has learned the same.”

Read about the other entries on the list.

--Marshal Zeringue