Summary

In 1946, Austerlitz’s foster parents sent him to Stower Grange, a private school near Oswestry, because Gwendolyn was ill. Because of the conflict in Europe, the school was poorly run, but Austerlitz enjoyed being there. He particularly liked the headmaster, Penrith-Smith, who often “wandered aimlessly about the school buildings” (59). While Austerlitz’s classmates always welcomed the holidays when they could return home, Austerlitz did not. He felt happiest at Stower Grange, where he discovered a love for reading, particularly “reference books and atlases” (61). He spent much of his time by himself, studying. He was always sad to return to Bala on school holidays, where the house was always covered with a fine white dust. Then, when Gwendolyn died, Emyr was so overcome by grief that he lost his mind and was interned at the Denbigh asylum.

Roughly a year later, Penrith-Smith informed Austerlitz...