Set in Kenya during the 1950s Mau Mau period, the novel follows two main characters: a boy attending a "white" boarding school (the Duke of York school in Nairobi) and a rehabilitated Kikuyu ex-terrorist who continued his education in Russia. The story is noted for its accurate depiction of colonial life and the complexities of political transition in Kenya.
The novel begins in Cape Town, where Douglas leads a typical seaside life until a freak accident claims the life of his twin brother, Marsden. The tragedy shatters his family; his father leaves, and his mother takes Douglas to live in the isolated, semi-desert town of Klipdorp in the Karoo region.
The book is written as a series of conversations between a fictional young prince and an emeritus professor of constitutional law. It explores the relevance of the British constitutional monarchy, contrasting the English concept of kingship (where the monarch is under the law) with historical absolutist continental models.
In October 1966, nineteen-year-old William Lavery is at his first black-tie event when news breaks of the Aberfan disaster, where a coal mine landslide has buried a school. William, a newly qualified embalmer, volunteers to assist in the recovery efforts, a job that forces him to confront his own past losses and the little boy he once was. The book explores how compassion and giving to others can sometimes help in personal healing.
The title of this book is taken from the Caduceus, the ancient emblem of physicians, a winged staff entwined with serpents of wisdom.But handsome, talented Dr Duncan Childers has to travel a long and perilous way before he can wear that emblem with honour and pride.
The story follows Abby, a woman who is haunted by recurring childhood nightmares of a field filled with human skulls and bones. On the eve of her wedding to Willem, these nightmares return, forcing her to confront dark secrets from her past. The narrative alternates between the present day and her traumatic childhood, building suspense as she tries to outrun her past.
