What is the main conflict in Strange Fits of Passion by Anita Shreve?

Strange Fits of Passion is a novel by acclaimed author Anita Shreve. This novel is written as though the reader were sifting through the notes of a writer who authored a non-fiction article about a woman who killed her husband in an attempt to free herself to be with her new lover. This woman, writing to the author from prison where she awaits trial on murder, describes a relationship that was volatile and abusive. Unfortunately, the author interprets these claims as a thinly veiled attempt at sympathy and wrote an article that very likely influenced the judge to sentence the domestic violence survivor to life in prison. Strange Fits of Passion is a unique work of fiction that leaves the reader struggling to answer the question of what constitutes self defense.