Staying On

After finishing the author's Raj Quartet series, I decided to read this epilogue/continuation to the story, although it isn't necessary, and doesn't really tie up any loose ends or answer any lingering questions left at the end of the Quartet. “Tusker” and Lucy Smalley, who are minor characters in the Quartet, are basically the last of the old British Raj, staying on after everyone else has gone. The novel begins with Tusker's sudden death, but then circles back around to how the Smalleys found themselves in this predicament of hanging on to a tradition and lifestyle that was finished years ago.

Paul Scott writes his characters so well, and this book is another experience of his mastery of developing characters and observing small details that speak volumes. There is more humor in this book as compared to the Quartet series, and I suppose that comes because the characters are performing roles that became useless or irrelevant long ago. I often think that reading characters like this is more helpful to someone studying human psychology than any textbook, and this book reinforced that view.

The book does a remarkable job of portraying an aging couple with all their quirks and accommodations made over a lifetime, and the people who they have come to rely on to keep their story intact, even after that story no longer makes sense.