Walking Into the Night

Description:

From back cover: As butler to William Randolph Hearst at San Simeon castle, Christian Benediktsson lives quietly, almost invisibly. He completes his tasks efficiently and with aplomb catering to the whims of the volatile Chief and overseeing the running of the hectic household. ... An extremely private man, those around him know nothing of him or his life. And so it is in his thoughts and in unsent letters to his wide back in Iceland that we witness the unraveling of his former life.

subjects: Icelandic Americans,  Butlers,  Fiction,  Loss (Psychology),  Runaway husbands

People: Marion Davies (1897-1961),  William Randolph Hearst (1863-1951)

Places: Eyrarbakki (Iceland),  New York (N.Y.),  San Simeon (Calif.)

Times: 1930s