This Is Not for You

Jane Rule’s second novel follows a group of friends through New York and abroad as they explore the freedoms—and limitations—of sexuality in a time of stifling social convention

Katherine George—Kate to her intimates—is captain of her high school debating and swimming teams. But beneath her high-achieving exterior is a young woman on a quest for meaning and fulfilling relationships.

Through her decades-long correspondence with Esther, the woman with whom she falls passionately in love, Kate shares the story of her journey into womanhood. As the sexually repressed fifties gives way to the liberated sixties, Kate’s odyssey takes her further and further from home. This Is Not for You also chronicles the travails of Kate’s intimate circle of friends as they, too, come to terms with their sexuality. Years pass before Kate writes her last letter, and can finally let go and move on.

Reissued decades after it first appeared, this is a cathartic, unforgettable novel about the search for identity, intimacy, and love.