The Living and the Dead

Plot

To hesitate on the edge of life or to plunge in and risk change--this is the dilemma explored in 'The Living and The Dead'. Patrick White's second novel is set in the thirties London and portrays the complex ebb and flow of relationships within the Standish family. Mrs Standish, ageing but still beautiful is drawn to secret liaisons, while her daughter Eden experiments openly and impulsively with left-wing politics and love affairs. Only the son, Elyot, remains an aloof and scholarly observer- until dramatic events shock him into sudden self-knowledge.