'There is only one subject here & that is the people of the title. Any book with people in it is a gaolhouse, as you will see. There they all sit, waiting for you, the reader, to open the book. Why are all these people cornerless? Because in this prison, this book, which is just a figment of yr imagination, they belong nowhere, have no edges & are therefore exposed on all surfaces. On a flat plane there is no dimension which holds them. Odd penitentiary, this. If you pay them a pastoral visit you will find nothing but the anxiety of truth. That old missed bus feeling. Better get out of here & make sure of yr connection. Alas, words are no more than a request stop at which you have forgotten to raise yr hand. And there you are, looking up the road, watching it vanish, while yr fingers creep imperceptibly into yr jacket & locate exactly the right amount of change to purchase this volume. I knew you wd.' - John Hartley Williams