Nina is happily married to Gael, until his recently published book rouses the ire of a not-quite-there critic, Howard, intent on becoming the mover and shaker of London's literary circles. Howard seduces Nina, while Howard's wife Elizabeth becomes involved with an Hungarian exile, who befriends and is befriended by Gael, leading to an utterly unexpected and tragic outcome for all. Christine Brooke-Rose's second novel is a waspish satire of the '50s London literary scene, and a story of madness and ill-fated lust-an entertaining novel from her early quartet of realist-mode tragicomedies.