Exiles of Faloo

by Barry Pain

Overhead a blue sky without a cloud; in the distance the sound of the surf-a muffled bass which broke on the tink of the bell at the French Mission or the scream of the parrot on the broad verandah of the Exiles' Club. On the lawn in front of the verandah two natives had just finished their reluctant work with the mower. They wore loin-cloths of tappa and nothing else. The head-gardener wore a loin-cloth of tappa and a white evening-dress waistcoat, the latter being the gift of Dr Soames Pryce. The waistcoat was splendid but unclean. The head-gardener had been inspecting the work of the others from a recumbent position. All three passed away now along the grass path under the laden orange trees. Two gorgeous butterflies chased one another over the lawn in the sunshine.

316 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1910

About the author

Born in Cambridge, Barry Eric Odell Pain was educated at Sedbergh School and Corpus Christi College, Cambridge. He became a prominent contributor to The Granta. He was known as a writer of parody and lightly humorous stories.

Reviews

[The Usual · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think the best I can do for this one is to damn it with faint praise. It's a decent job of work, and there are some interesting ideas, but it's all a bit obvious, and hasn't aged well.

What else? Well, the Exile's Club is a pretty neat idea - a group of upper-class fugitives holed up on a tropical island - and there's a rather neat skewering of one of the Cadburys that doesn't really go anywhere. It may have been an influence on Waugh, though it could do with some of his bite. Other than that it's really nothing special.

Sorry.