This started out irritating and then beguiled me with some evocative passages (that maybe flattered to deceive). Then it got dull again. There was a nice jolt of cruelty near the end but overall, I didn’t like it. Updike here seems to see woman as *lumps* - even when he goes ‘inside’ their heads, they’re lumps thinking lump thoughts. The lack of curiosity or real empathy makes reading parts irritating and dull.