Absalom's Hair

An aging, eccentric landowner lives alone on a coastal estate, surrounded by hunting trophies, contrivances, and strong personal habits. When several female relatives come for a summer visit, their genteel expectations repeatedly collide with his coarse behavior, producing comic and unsettling incidents such as unexpected nudity and a discharged firearm. One young visitor becomes absorbed by a disused wing of the house and imagines rebuilding it, and quiet daily routines—walks, sails, stories by the fireside—gradually reveal small shifts in feeling and ambition. The narrative observes contrasts between solitude and company, pride and vulnerability, and the ways private memory and desire surface in ordinary life.