This is the kind of novel that makes one wonder if there was any hidden meaning, as a story within a story, in it. There are so many instances that scream 'hidden message', the reader might feel stupid for not discovering it. The meaning of a candle, and why the couple are not permitted to have one, for example, is one such instance. Nevertheless, it appears the author encrypted his work so securely, that discovering such a hidden meaning is almost impossible. Writers such as Hemingway or Golding can be deciphered by a clever mind, since they send their messages using common sense and metaphors that relate, rationally, to the concepts. This plot, however, you can unlock and understand, only if you have exact knowledge of the conceits that the author has established between him and himself, and neither common sense nor rational mind can understand. The setting and the subject matter was interesting for me, but as far as meaning goes, I was either completely helpless to discover one, thanks to the needlessly ambiguous concealment of the purpose, or there was none to be discovered at all.