A novel of high literary quality, published in 1954, about the marital crisis of Evelyn Gresham, a prestigious lawyer, and Imogen, his wife, younger than him, shortly after the end of the Second World War. They live in the countryside, in a village in Berkshire, not far from London.

A highly nuanced conflict regarding the behavior of the protagonists, very well portrayed, to which are added other characters, such as some friends of the couple or of one of the spouses, their son, the son of neighbors, and above all, Blanche, the neighbor who will cause the rupture. Pain, misunderstandings, imprudence, silences, which lead to the painful outcome: "The fabric of married life is made of trivial details," we read on page 307, and neglecting this premise is what gradually deteriorates the relationship between husband and wife, due to vanity, fear, and selfishness...

Carefully crafted setting, with vivid descriptions of the place where the Greshams live.