Staying On is effectively a post-script to The Raj Quartet , Scott’s earlier sequence of novels about the end of the British occupation of India. Set in 1972, shortly after the India/Pakistan war that led directly to the creation of Bangladesh, it tells the story of a British couple, Tusker and Lucy Smalley (briefly mentioned in the latter two books of the Quartet) who are the last British couple living in the small hill town of Pankot. Tusker, formerly a colonel in the British Army, chose to stay on in India after independence, when most British people returned to the UK, initially opting for a post in business and then finally retirement. One of the reasons for staying on was that the couple’s meagre savings would go much further in India than in the UK. But inevitably they slowly become more and more isolated as others leave.

The Smalleys live in The Lodge, an annexe to Smith’s Hotel. Their status as slightly unwelcome lodgers is obviously symbolic of the role of the British in India after the end of the Raj and reminiscent of J G Farrell’s use of the hotel as a symbol of Imperialism in his wonderful 1970 novel Troubles.

Formerly the town’s principal hotel, Smith’s is now overshadowed by neighbouring The Shiraz, a much larger and more modern hotel built by a consortium of Indian businessmen. This is obviously the shape of things to come for Smith’s, now as anachronistic (and unprofitable) as the Smalley’s themselves. The novel focusses on the relationship between the brash, monosyllabic Tusker and his thoughtful, considerate wife, and in turn their relationships with the community around them. This is a detailed portrait rather than the sweeping descriptions majesties of post-Imperial India that the reader (well, this one) might have expected. Little happens in Pankot – no tiger hunting from the back of an elephant, no tribal communal riots or violence. Life as an expat in Pankot, relayed to the reader through Lucy’s lively inner monologue, is a restrained affair in which a letter from England is a cause for excitement.

In an imagined conversation to a prospective British visitor, Lucy reminisces about her childless marriage to Tusker and the decisions he made along the way that caused her such pain, most of all the decision to stay on when they had an opportunity to return to the UK. She has endured his buffoonery and occasional infidelity (the suggestion being that it is the former that was more painful) with a traditional stiff upper lip, but is coming close to breaking point. She knows Tusker is unwell, and is worried about her financial position should he die. Having borne multiplies slights from other army wives, she was looking forward to being shown respect as a ex-patriate, but finds that life has not turned out as she expected. Having lived with the fine racial and social distinctions that were so important to life as an Army wife, Mrs Smalley is unable to make any close friends among her Indian neighbours, and is obviously lonely and isolated.

In parallel to the Smalley’s relationship, Mrs Lila Bhoolabhoy, owner of Smith’s Hotel, bullies her hen-pecked husband, the hotel manager. Mrs Bhoolabhoy, without consulting her husband, makes plans to sell the hotel for redevelopment. This will lead to the Smalleys eviction, the news of which precipitates Tusker’s fatal heart attack. Scott sketches in a number of other characters that complete the Smalley’s small circle of acquaintances – their loyal servant, Ibrahim, their new gardener, Mrs Bhoolabhoy’s maid Minnie, the local vicar, and Susy, Mrs Smalley’s mixed-race hairdresser.

This is not a novel driven by events. The one major turning point – Tusker’s death – is announced in the opening sentence and the remainder of the novel is an explanation of how his heart attack is triggered by the eviction notice. There is no mystery about the cause of death – Tusker’s health issued are mentioned throughout, as is his tendency to flare-up in response to any perceived slight from his landlord. Instead the focus is on the minutiae of the Smalley’s lives in the days leading up to his death.

This was an enjoyable if slight novel that is in some ways more interested in the Smalley’s relationship than the setting. I suspect that the return to the UK that Mrs Smalley yearned for would have still left her marriage under strain, and her friendships limited by social constraints of class, religion or race. Ideally I would have read The Raj Quartet first before Staying On, which would have made it a very different read, more an epilogue than a stand-alone novel. These are some of the difficulties of working one’s way through the Booker prize winners in such a haphazard way. I doubt The Raj Quartet will now ever make its way onto my hypothetical to be read list, but you never know.