I think one of the main 'joys' of the book is the character of Tony, who is so 'normal' and thinks that he has been leading this normal life can exact such extraordinary events/consequences. And never underestimate the power of suggestion!
I love the way he misreads the signals from Veronica when they meet again. He is such a twat!
Now on to New Grub Street by George Gissing. Really enjoying it but slightly disconcerted by the fact that I already know the main characters, Edwin Reardon and Jasper Milvain. Well, I already know the radio comedy version of them...
I'm reading it on my wife's recommendation, and it wasn't until she read it last year that either of us realised that's where the characters in
Ed Reardon's Week came from. Now I'm beginning to understand just how closely Christopher Douglas based them on Gissing's characters. It adds an extra level of humour and pathos, though I keep wondering when we'll get to the bit where the journeyman Victorian hack scripts an episode of Tenko.
d.