according to the cover description, sophira is 'fair and democratic: she hates everyone. the old, the fat, the poor, the black, the royal and the gay - all fall victim to her even-handed intolerance'. the book does seem to have a streak of racism and homophobia: "looking at nylon in real life makes me ill. do i want to see him having his bum buggered by a big blackie jungle bunny through a crack in a toilet door" (morin, c 1991p.17); but sebastian beaumont writing in the gay times (feb 1992) says 'the invective is so rich and relentless that it is not offensive, but amusing instead. morin has, by describing completely over-the-top prejudice, shown how absurd prejudice really is. ' he continues, 'this is a fascinating and macabrely funny book about misguided obsessions, and misplaced, erroneous concepts of purity. it is also extremely readable.'