Jeanette Winterson’s Sexing the Cherry: A Journey Through Time, Space, and Imagination
Breaking the Rules of Fiction
Jeanette Winterson, a daring and unconventional writer, doesn’t let rules and conventions confine her storytelling. In her fifth novel, Sexing the Cherry, published in 1989, she invites readers to explore the realm “in between what happens.” Winterson describes novels as having a peculiar desire to compress time into a few hundred pages, and novelists as slaves to this desire.
In the Beginning
The story begins in 17th-century London, where Dog Woman, a colossal and monstrous figure, discovers an orphaned baby boy in the “grey waters” of the Thames. With thirty dogs under her care, she becomes an unlikely mother to the child, who grows to love her despite her grotesque appearance. Unencumbered by family obligations or a husband, the two embark on extraordinary adventures.
- Dog Woman has two hundred teeth
- She can fit a dozen oranges in her mouth
- She can throw an elephant into the air
Set against a backdrop of political unrest and civil wars, Dog Woman remains a steadfast supporter of the King, believing in his divine right to rule. She eliminates dissenters and revolutionaries to protect her beloved monarch.
Jordan, her son, is a dreamer who sets sail during the age of marine exploration, searching for love and
