The English village is a place where people come to lick their wounds. Dorothy h
as walked away from a bad thirty-year marriage, an affair gone sour and a danger
ous obsession. Between her visits to the doctor and the music lessons she gives
to bored teenagers, she is trying to rebuild a life.
It's not immediately cle
ar why her neighbour, Solomon, is living in the village, but his African origin
suggests a complex history that is at odds with his dull routine of washing the
car and making short trips to the supermarket. Though all he has in common with
the English is a shared language, it soon becomes clear that Solomon hopes that
his new country will provide him with a safe haven.
