Point of View

This novel is told in the third person, from the perspectives of its two protagonists, Fred Fairly and Daisy Saunders. The reader experiences the novel from the point of views of these two primary characters.

Setting

The novel occurs in 1912 Cambridge and London. Fred's rooms are at St Angelicus College in Cambridge (he is one of its Junior Fellows). Daisy grew up in South London (and is close to or has no home during different parts of the novel). A scandalous part of Cambridge is Pett's Hotel, where rooms can be had by the hour. The more generally accepted idea of Cambridge, though, was described by English King James the 1st: "pray at King's, dine at Trinity and study at Jesus" (to which, the narrator notes, he once added and "sleep in peace at Angels").

Language and Meaning

The author's writing style is spartan. She is...