At the start of the story, it seems that only fate matters, if fate can be said to depend on character. For Bainbridge appears at first to care only about character. Both Myrtle and Dr. Potter are in thrall to the Hardys' son, George, a surgeon tortured by guilt over his homosexual urges. In the novel's opening section, Myrtle describes how Master Georgie happened to discover his father dead in a prostitute's bed and the consequences this has for the Hardy family's future. No conversation is wasted.
Nothing is described merely to illustrate.
Master Georgie and Pompey Jones are photographers, and their art plays an important role in the novel. Each of its six chapters is named after a photograph taken in the course of its action, and each of these photographs comments grimly on the action's meaning. The battle is powerless to catch whatever is boiling within the human skull, her novel seems to be saying. Reviews will appear on The Denver Post Online.