Super Short Summary

A Handful of Dust by Evelyn Waugh is a satirical novel focused on Tony Last, an English squire living in Hetton Abbey with his disillusioned wife, Brenda, and their son, John. Brenda's affair with John Beaver leads to familial and social upheaval. Following personal losses, Tony embarks on an Amazon expedition, ultimately leading to his captivity and despair with Mr. Todd, a man who forces him to read Dickens endlessly. Triggering topics include infidelity and the death of a child.