Set in London in 1922 and told
from the point of view of Frances Wray, a woman in her twenties. The story conveys the aftermath of war, how
the class system is changing and how women are seizing these changes. Frances would dearly love to be one of these
women, but her sense of duty to her mother keeps her tied to the family
home. Her father has died and she has
lost her beloved brothers in the war.
The Wrays are struggling to make ends meet. They can no longer afford the luxury of servants
and the daily chores of running the house falls to Frances. We feel her resentment towards her father for
his bad management of the family affairs.
Frances persuades her mother to take in some lodgers and the story
begins with the arrival of Mr & Mrs Barber, a lively couple in their twenties. At first the house feels strange with its new
occupants and there are embarrassing moments when the daily minutia is played
out such as accessing the outside toilet, but the bills have to be paid and the money is useful. Frances is attracted to the colourful flighty
Mrs Barber and, before long, the two become unlikely friends. I liked the character of Frances – a woman
keen to explore her sexuality, but reluctant to abandon her mother. The descriptions are rich and vivid and I was
easily transported to the place and time.
