Double play

A marathon game of dominoes, lasting from early morning to dusk, and involving four men for whom the game is a trigger for social, political and sexual rivalries against a background of colonial unrest. A complacent bailiff and his feckless taxi-driver partner are deserted by their wives for a mixture of personal and idealistic reasons, and the resulting turmoil leads on to murder and suicide as the tensions work themselves out. As well as being a novel of character, Double Play offers a powerful picture of colonial and attitudes in the mid-twentieth century.