That ("exterminators and exterminatees") is another one of those statements in this book that pulled me up short. Such fundamental disagreements had me trying to double-check how I viewed the character(s). And sometimes the statements present a problem, for example the "for a while" in this one leaves it unclear exactly when Florence stops pretending - and the last sentence might have us believe she doesn't stop pretending until sometime very much later.
The above also reminded me that I did at times find some confusion between Florence and the author. The most intrusive (for me) example was the following paragraph:
Quote:
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Florence accused herself of vanity, self-deception, and wilful misconstruction. She was a tradeswoman: why should anyone expect her to have anything to do with the arts? Curiously enough, for the next few days she was on the verge of offering to leave the Old House. The suspicion that she was clinging on simply because her vanity had been wounded was unbearable. Of course, Mrs Gamart, whom I shall never speak of or refer to as Violet, it was Milo North you had in mind. Instal him immediately. My little book business can be fitted in anywhere. I only ask you not to allow the conventions to be defied too rapidly East Suffolk isnt used to it. Kattie will have to live, for the first few years at least, in the oyster warehouse.
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The three sentences between en-dashes (they may be just hyphens) completely threw me for a time. It seemed at first that the author had suddenly intruded to explain herself, until I widened my view enough to realise it was supposed to be a first-person aside within an aside from Florence.