It centres on the interlocking lives of a judge, a young female relative and their servant in a time of political turmoil. The characters are not very attractive in many ways, highly flawed and yet oh so human in their sensibilities. The early part of the book has another very significant non-human character - the judge's house. Once beautiful and full of wonderful, expensive things, nature in all forms is taking over the building. Rain, wind, cold, heat, insects, lizards, creatures of all kinds are invading and the structure is crumbling. This symbolises the crumbling of the main characters, the decay of their lives and the civilisation that surrounds them. The girl develops a passion for her tutor (which he returns), but they both regret the way the passion grows. The tutor betrays the judge (and the girl) and then tries to atone for his errors, but fails.
The story is also about being a refugee, all the characters are trying to escape, or trying to maintain a lifestyle or behaviour that is no longer tenable. There are a pleasing array of minor characters - all refugees from something or emotions, or feelings. The political turmoil also reveals the inherent decay within their lives. The cook's son leaves for a bright future in America, and yet finds nothing that satisfies, and his return is not what he expects. No hopes are fulfilled for any of the characters. In many ways a depressing, bleak book about unsuccessful lives, and yet, somehow it is a worthwhile, thought provoking read. Rating: 7/10
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