Mrs. Curren (the narrator)

For the majority of the novel, we do not know the narrator's name.

At the opening of the novel, Mrs. Curren has been diagnosed with terminal cancer and she has just found a homeless man camped outside her house. As the novel, an extended letter to her daughter living in America, unfolds we learn about her history. Mrs. Curren was once a university professor, and her field in the humanities, the classics, is evident in her every sentence. When she writes to her daughter or writes of having spoken to another character, she makes constant allusions to historical characters and works of art.

Another important aspect of Mrs. Curren's history is her opinion of the government of the Republic of South Africa. She has for most of her life felt guilt about the state of affairs. Even though the practices of racial prejudice began long...