by Evelyn Waugh
First published 2016
Tony Last lives a meticulously ordered life at Hetton Abbey, his beloved family estate steeped in tradition. When his wife Brenda begins a brazen affair, Tony's carefully constructed world begins to crack. Her infidelity threatens not just their marriage, but the entire social fabric of his aristocratic existence. As Brenda's betrayal intensifies, Tony retreats deeper into Hetton, desperately trying to preserve the last vestiges of his family's legacy. But each attempt to maintain order only accelerates his inevitable downfall. In a society where appearances matter more than genuine connection, Tony discovers that some wounds cannot be hidden behind polite facades.
Genres: literary-fiction, domestic-fiction, 20th-century, contemporary, family-drama
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: downfall, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Hetton Abbey
Period: 20th-century
353 pages · Kindle Edition · William Collins