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Cover of The Prince of Tides

Fiction · 1987 · R

The Prince of Tides

by Pat Conroy

A family's buried violence surfaces — and nearly destroys what's left.

In his most brilliant and powerful novel, Pat Conroy tells the story of Tom Wingo, his twin sister, Savannah, and the dark and violent past of the family into which they were born. Set in New York City and the low country of South Carolina, the novel opens when Tom, a high school football coach whose marriage and career are crumbling, flies from South Carolina to New York after learning of his twin sister's suicide attempt. Savannah is one of the most gifted poets of her generation, and both the cadenced beauty of her art and the jumbled cries of her illness are clues to the too-long-hidden st

For17+GenreFictionLength567 pagesRead time~15 hoursCommunity ratings0

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Content snapshot

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What's in this book, at a glance — five things readers want to know before they start.

Violence

A lot

A violent home invasion and rape depicted in detail; domestic violence; serious injury

Language

Some

Some strong language

Sexual Content

A lot

The rape of multiple family members is a central revealed trauma; an affair is depicted

Substance Use

Some

Alcohol abuse is a character trait

Emotional Intensity

Very heavy

One of the most psychologically intense family dramas in American fiction — trauma, shame, and the cost of silence

What this book is about

Tom Wingo travels to New York to help his psychiatrist understand his suicidal twin sister Savannah. As Tom and Dr. Lowenstein grow close, the buried trauma of the Wingo family — including a devastating violent incident — is slowly excavated. Pat Conroy's sweeping novel about a Southern family is operatic, raw, and deeply felt.

Notes for sensitive readers

Reader-flagged moments and themes that may affect your experience.

Gang rape of multiple family members depicted

Sustained domestic violence and abuse

Explicit sexual content in an affair

Intense psychological trauma throughout

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