Summary

In the beginning of the novel, the unnamed first person narrator observes the blood in the fountain. She instructs the plumber to drain the stained water. When he asks if it is blood in the fountain she claims not to know. The narrator explains that it is not her house; her mother in law, Margo, lives in the mansion and owns the glasshouse she lives in. The plumber is disquieted by the blood but the narrator tells him that he does not really believe that she had someone killed. She avers that it is universally impossible to believe that someone you know can kill another person.

In “Lyla” the first person narrator introduces herself to the reader. She pontificates upon her boredom, the struggle of being wealthy, and the tension with her husband, Graham Hershcel, as she drives to the market. The...