A Handful of Dust

A Handful of Dust is a satirical novel by Evelyn Waugh, published in 1934. The novel satirizes the lives of the English gentry and middle class in the interwar period. Waugh’s highly regarded satire is based on his own experience of divorce and unhappiness, as well as his understanding of the English class system. The novel has been dramatized for radio, theater, and screen.

This guide uses the 2018 Penguin English Library edition.

Content Warning: The source text and this guide describe child loss and classism.

Plot Summary

Tony Last is a wealthy Englishman who lives a happy but uneventful life. He lives in Hetton Abbey with his wife, Brenda, and their son, John. Hetton is particularly important to Tony, as it has been in his family for many generations. Though the house and its staff are expensive to maintain, Tony feels obliged to do so. Brenda thinks the abbey is dull and boring, much like her marriage. She is disillusioned and tired of spending all her time in this cloistered place. She encourages Tony to invite people around to make things more interesting.

Tony does not want anyone else to visit him at Hetton Abbey.