In Over the River by John Galsworthy Dinny Cherwell’s younger sister comes home from India where she had been for all of the seventeen months of her marrriage to the much older Sir Jerry Corven. She has left her high ranking British army officer husband as she’s unable to put up with his cruelty and brutality any more, she’s been thoroughly humiliated by him.

On the voyage back Clare has begun a friendship with Tony Croom, a man nearer her own age. He has fallen in love with Clare, but it’s all very platonic as far as Clare is concerned.

When the dastardly husband arrives in London to make Clare go back to him in India he’s outraged that as far as he is concerned she’s already moved on in her life. If she doesn’t go back to him he will sue Tony Croom, naming him as co-respondent in the divorce case, despite the fact that there is no evidence of infidelity. It will ruin Tony’s life, especially as the husband intends to ask for £2,000 as ‘damages’ from Tony.

This was a really good read, it features Fleur Forsyte and Michael Mont as minor characters.

As usual Galsworthy was writing about the hypocrisy of society, it was almost impossible for ordinary people to get a divorce, but even for wealthy people it wasn’t straightforward, especially if only one of the spouses wanted a divorce.

I can clearly remember the shenanigans that people had to get up to even in the late 1970s, involving private detectives and chamber maids in divorce courts as ‘witnesses’ to infidelity – not that Clare and Tony got up to anything nefarious at all, it just looked it.