The Protagonist

The name of the novel’s main character is never given, and very little background information is divulged about her over the course of the book. However, it is clear that she is a woman who lives in London, and she works as a literary translator. She is married to a man in his forties named Christopher, although they have separated due to marital issues such as Christopher’s many infidelities.

In the novel, the protagonist travels to Greece, where Christopher went in order to do research for a book before suddenly and mysteriously disappearing there. The protagonist plans on asking Christopher for a divorce, but she discovers that he has been killed. The protagonist is withdrawn and distant from other characters, and she expends much mental energy struggling with the nature of her circumstances, as well as the nature of love, marriage, and grief. The entire...