Julius Hertz is a 73-year-old recluse who has spent most of his life looking after others — first his parents who survived the Nazis in Germany, and then his brother Freddy, a musical prodigy who eventually had a nervous breakdown and died in a hospice. While Julius was trying to make things better for the rest of his family, his brief marriage failed. Now retired from running a shop, he has plenty of time for himself.

Julius occasionally sees Josie, his ex-wife who now works at a garden center. His lawyer thinks that he should do some traveling. But this has little appeal for him. In fact, how could anything match the luminous moments of happiness he experienced as an eight-year-old boy while visiting Baden Baden? Julius clings to his routine like a life-jacket in choppy waters. He's convinced himself that solitude suits his temperament. But there is still a part of him that fuels desires he cannot cover even with all his rituals.

Julius stares at a beautiful neighbor, and she is not pleased with his looks. He recalls the strong attraction he had years ago for his cousin Fanny. She still shows up in his dreams. She spurned his love and he wonders why: "From beginning to end he had been the lover, yet love had let him down." Is there any chance that it could come again, just when he least expects it?

Anita Brookner is the English master of the richly nuanced psychological novel. This is her twenty-first work and she has not lost any of her amazing ability to get us to step into the consciousness of her protagonists. In this well-realized novel, Brookner charts the debilitations and the deliberations of old age. Although Julius is hobbled by high blood pressure, he harvests memories without too much trouble. And after a lifetime of good behavior, he wants to let go a bit and break out of his cocoon.

Julius gets his chance when Fanny, the chief love of his life, writes him a letter asking for his assistance. Her domineering mother is dead, and her second husband is out of the picture. Fanny expresses regret over turning Julius away years ago and is eager for a reunion. Is Julius ready for one last fling or will he choose a smooth and quiet descent into senescence? Brookner gracefully depicts the movements of his soul as he tries to make up his mind.