Isherwood's theme, in a novel which clearly shows his early influences, was to recur in his later work; the destruction of the son by the evil mother. In the Kensington of the 1920s - silver frames, inlaid bureaux, charming sitting-rooms - the "conspirators", Philip and Joan fight to throw off the oppressive power of their mother.
In Isherwood's own words, 'All the Conspirators' is the story of "a trivial but furious battle which the combatants fight out passionately and dirtily to the finish, using whatever weapons come in their hands."
