The Master by Colm Tóibín

To write a psychologically-charged novel about Henry James, as Colm Tóibín does in his 2004 book The Master, sets up certain expectations—expectations that Tóibín will toy with and subvert during the course of this book. James, after all, is the master of the resonance between the exterior appearance and inner life, the expert at probing and prod- ding …