The Robber Bride

Tony spends her Christmas break with Zenia, whom she now considers her “best friend.” West, whom she once fancied, is now an afterthought; she wouldn’t consider betraying Zenia by pursuing him. Zenia and West appear to be deeply in love, but that kind of dynamic between two people is foreign to Tony: “These things are for other people; nothing for her” (178). Aware of Tony’s feelings, Zenia makes room for her within the triangle, but Tony and West still secretly bemoan the loss of their friendship. It cannot continue; Zenia takes up too much emotional space.

Zenia seems much more forgiving of Tony’s mother than Tony is: “She sounds full of life” (180), Zenia says one day. She uses the war as an excuse for Anthea’s behavior, but Tony does not share Zenia’s forgiving nature. Zenia tells her that, during the war, as she and her mother fled Russia, her mother “rented” Zenia out to Russian military officers and other men. The easy aplomb with which she recounts the story both horrifies Tony and gives her a newfound respect for Zenia’s resilience. Zenia, who never knew her father, leaves her mother, who eventually dies of tuberculosis. Far from being haunted by the memory, Zenia appears liberated by it; she is free of expectations, and free to become whomever she wishes. 

Zenia spins tales of selling sex and cleaning hotel rooms for cash, so Tony feels obliged to lend her—and by default West—money from time to time. She also writes a term paper for Zenia, performing a tortured calculus in her mind to justify her breach of academic ethics. As spring approaches, Tony notices Zenia’s mind wandering away from both her and West and toward something else. One night, Zenia sneaks into Tony’s room, professing guilt over the term paper. She wants to confess, which would implicate Tony as well, potentially sabotaging her academic career. Claiming to be stressed over money, she asks Tony for $1,000 to cover several months of back rent. Tony realizes she is being blackmailed but has no recourse. She writes the check.

Two days later, Zenia disappears with the $1,000, her and West’s joint savings, and even West’s prized lute, which Tony finds in a secondhand store and buys back for him. She leaves West a note professing her love, a sentiment he clings to for solace but which Tony understands is all a charade. West and Tony share their common loss, though Tony’s is tempered by reality: Zenia has used her, and she’s allowed it. West begins drinking heavily, and Tony fears a similar downward spiral that plagued her father. Roz suggests Tony sleep with West, a suggestion that at first terrifies her. She is a virgin and has no idea how the mechanics of seduction work, but she fears for West’s life so she decides to try. West, however, views her attempts as merely the consolations of a friend.

One afternoon in June, Tony visits West and finds him asleep. She kisses his forehead, which wakes him up. He embraces her and pulls her into bed. They make love, and, for the first time, Tony feels valuable, as if giving her body to West has saved him from the ravages of Zenia. However, he still thinks of Zenia, convinced her leaving was his fault. In this regard, Tony remains silent, reluctant to attack someone who cannot defend herself.

Tony and West move in together, earn their graduate degrees, and eventually marry. Their love is fragile, however, and while Zenia’s presence fades, it never completely vanishes. One evening, Zenia shows up at Tony and West’s apartment, thinner and even more refined. She waltzes in as if no transgressions have passed between them, and Tony and West feel secure enough in their relationship to tolerate her company. She pretends to be happy for them but also hints at hardship in her own life, which recently involved travel to Europe, the United States, and the Middle East. Several days later, West comes home late, confessing he took Zenia out for a beer. He is concerned about her and cannot understand Tony’s lack of empathy. Within two weeks, Zenia has “reclaimed” West, who is convinced she will be suicidal without him. He has been brainwashed; Tony feels she cannot win this battle, and so she retreats.

As West slips away, Tony thinks of discarding her wedding ring but forestalls that decision until later. The day after West leaves, Roz—now pregnant—visits, comforting Tony with reassurances that West will return. She even moves in for a few days, buying groceries, feeding Tony, drawing baths for her, and even helping her buy and redecorate a house. The house becomes a shelter from which she can retreat from the world when she is not working. She works long hours to avoid sleep and a recurring dream in which she is drifting inside her own brain, watching it function. In the distance, a figure walks away from her, and she hears a voice: Forever, it says. She always wakes from these dreams distraught and in tears, but she has no viable recourse.

A year later, West shows up at Tony’s door, and she understands that Zenia is finished with him. Once again, Tony cares for West, but with no illusions this time: “He was only on loan. Zenia was his addiction; one sip of her and he’d be gone” (210). Now that Zenia is back from the dead, Tony believes she wants to exact some kind of revenge on her, although the logic of Zenia’s hatred is twisted and perverted. Her only option is to anticipate Zenia’s next move and to figure out what she wants. To Tony, West verges on frailty, and she is not sure if she has the strength to protect him from Zenia.