London: Faber and Faber, 1986
Lisa is besotted with Shakespeare; and when she hears of Aston Hart, descended from Shakespeare’s sister Joan, she feels that her life has acquired direction. But Aston, born in Kenya of parents murdered by Mau Mau terrorists, is haunted not by thoughts of his remote uncle but by obsessions with poltergeists and paranormal manifestations.
Back in England, living in an old house with reputed Shakespeare associations, he is not at ease. Through his neighbour, Edwin Parsler, he meets Lisa. The events that follow, which include the forging of a Shakespeare letter and the threatened arrival of Idi Amin – who had been one of Aston’s NCOs during the Mau Mau campaign – culminate in a surprising climax.
Cover illustration by Irene von Treskow.
