থেকে Taarstedt, Germany
From the novel: "The sky was unclouded and the early sun shed a heavenly mildness on the scene; it was difficult to imagine, on that blithe, fresh, and smiling morn, that the city lay gasping, like a man whose life is being throttled out of him by a maniac's hands, in the dark clutch of the pestilence." One of the few books I've read where the author has woven such beautiful phrases within the raw tragedy and real triumph that is the story of character Kitty Fane. Despair, disease, death, and ultimately faith are all players in Kitty's life lessons. After marrying Walter, who she did not love, they move from England to Hong Kong where she finds entertainment in the arms of one of the members of their social circle. When her husband finds out, he issues an ultimatum to which she eventually surrenders. Together they travel to an epidemic-ridden village, where Walter can practice his bacteriology experiments, assuming his hope to find some relief to the cholera that is rampaging through the area. Meanwhile, Kitty finds purpose and reason while assisting with work at a local Catholic orphanage. Their stay eventually ends with Walter's contraction of cholera and subsequent death. Kitty returns to Hong Kong and, in a sort of twist of fate, is invited to stay with the family of the man with whom she had an affair. She learns even more of herself during that time, and realizes that she needs to go home to England. From there, the story comes to a close with Kitty preparing to go to yet another place in the world, but this time with confidence, hope, and faith in her future.
Is is weird that I miss these characters?