ABSTRACT
Trillin spotted Alice at a party organized by a mutual friend. Others meet by happenstance. Friendships can blossom into romances, at times in highly unorthodox ways. John Fowles initially befriended a young couple, Elizabeth and Roy Christy, when the three found themselves together on a remote Greek island-the setting for his novel, The Magus-with little to do but drink. When Roy fell into a drunken stupor, a regular occurrence, John and Elizabeth were left to wile away the hours together. Over a period of months, a growing tenderness developed between them, but Fowles (2003) held his feelings in check, reasoning that as long as he did not touch her, or kiss her when she offered, he was not transgressing. When his resistance weakened, they kissed, and the romance flowered.
