In the aftermath of an acrimonious divorce, young Maisie Farange finds herself shuttled back and forth between her father and mother, both of them amoral and monstrously self-involved. After her parents find new spouses -- and after the new spouses find themselves drawn to each other, as much for Maisie's sake as their own -- Maisie feels even more misplaced. As she observes the world of adults and their adulteries, and finds herself in the position to decide her own fate, Henry James's rendering of her child's-eye view -- his depiction of what precisely Maisie knows -- draws the reader into this scathing satire of social mores and insightful meditation on familial dependence.
Adaptations (1)
What Maisie Knew was adapted into a 2012 film.
What Maisie Knew2012 · film · 99 min · dir. Scott McGehee, David Siegel · IMDb ↗In New York City, a young girl is caught in the middle of her parents' bitter custody battle.
