On the climax of The Golden Bowl.

pachydermatous (M-W)

adj [deriv. of Gk pachys + dermat-, derma skin] 1: of or relating to the pachyderms 2 a: thick, thickened <~ skin> b: callous, insensitive

Of course, as soon as I say I can’t write about it while I’m reading, everything changes. The first chapter in Volume 2 of The Golden Bowl is remarkable.

The novel juxtaposes the nuance and subtlety that exists within a tight social network with a bold action that may (or may not) take place precisely because everything else is so subtle.