Valmouth and Other Stories

Valmouth is one of Firbank's most dazzling novels. Set in an English seaside health resort where the air promotes extraordinary longevity, Valmouth is dominated by the exotic and manipulative black masseuse, Mrs Yajnavalkya. Unhampered by class or creed, the ubiquitous Yajnavalkya moves between the strata of Valmouth society, bringing relief that is not without elements of eroticism..