Waugh's take on English upper society in the 1930's. The characters in this novel live on the surfice. They construct their lives around what will not last. Tony, the central character, lives for Hetton,his deteriorating mansion
in the English countryside. His wife and the other characters live day by day without meaningful direction or accomplishments.
This is a satire. Social commentary in narative form. It is written crisply and the humour is often understated. None of the characters are loveable and it is hard to feel empathy for any of them. "A Handful of Dust" is a line from TS Elliot, the English poet. Waugh's novel is TS Elliot's poetry in prose.