Wharton gives us a punch to the gut with this one, doesn't she? She gets us all invested in Lily, and then has our heroine ultimately fall from the good graces of respectable society and eventually—whether intentionally or unintentionally—kill herself. Not a pretty view of life, is it?

Obviously there are a few things that can be a bit disconcerting about this novel. Of course there's suicide, a really uncomfortable subject for many, but there's also drug addiction and money lending with the understanding (at least on the man's part) that sex will be the payment. Did you catch that? Sex. In exchange for money. Oy vey.