Loser Takes All

'In a class by himself-the ultimate chronicler of twentieth-centuryman's consciousness and anxiety' William GoldingBertram was not a believer in luck or superstitions. An unambitious assistant accountant, his plans for his second marriage are typically quiet- St Luke's, Maida Hill, then two weeks in Bournemouth. But then he comes to the attention of Dreuther, the director of Bertram's company, who changes Bertram's plans for him- wedding and honeymoon in Monte Carlo, on board his private yacht. Inevitably Bertram visits the casino and inevitably he loses. But then his system starts working, and his trouble really begins-