A Dragon Roused

In this powerful sequel to "The Mayfly" we witness the painful re-emergence, five years on, of theatre designer Roland Millan into the open world of remembrance, where his emotions are sorely tested in the reunion with the great love of his life, former choirboy Piers Moriston (now a Cambridge undergraduate). The scene moves to Switzerland and France, where their rediscovered love treads a new but hesitant path. When Piers gets involved with a French girl, Roland's jealousy and despair drive him into surrogate uncledom with the precocious child Andre (met at the Mont St Michel). From then on, Roland's fortunes are subjected to a rollercoaster ride, but the story ends on a note of uplift and hope.