Sexuality in Grace Metalious' 'Peyton Place'

The (in 1956) outrageous contents of the novel Peyton Place, of which a lot are of a sexual kind, were the reason why the book became famous. The main characters, Allison MacKenzie, her mother, Constance MacKenzie, and Selena Cross are introduced one after another, as well as a couple of other characters, that live in the small town called Peyton Place. The essay examines the sexual relations of the characters and to what extent these convey social criticism.