The violence is brought about by a new far-right political party entering government, voted in to combat a massive influx of African refugees.

The protagonist, a former professor of English named Alan Whitman, is initially concerned only with protecting his wife and daughter, but is gradually drawn further into the broader conflict over the course of events.

The narrative jumps back and forth between the different time periods rapidly, creating a stark contrast between the different stages of conflict and the nature of Whitman's character at these different points, as well as generating tension by not illustrating how the increasingly degraded state of affairs has come to pass.

Isobel: Whitman's wife, who has a strained relationship with her husband, which is explained by several past events in the book, and culminates in their separation.

Tregarth: He is referred to by Alan several times, explaining his early political history and actions concerning the afrim landings and their subsequent treatment.

Afrims: The immigrants from Africa, who have been fleeing the state of turmoil on the continent that resulted from use of nuclear weapons and covert foreign intervention by major powers there.

Fugue for a Darkening Island was well received both upon release and in later years, coming third in the 1973 John W. Campbell Memorial Award,[2] while a 2011 review in Starburst magazine stated that it is "positively prescient in its foretelling.

Thomas Wagner at SFF180, while acknowledging prescient aspects of the story, notes that "there’s no hiding the racism baked into the book’s premise.