Mouse in eternity

From "15 Minutes a Day" by Curtis Evans: "The novel derives its strange title from a poem that speculates “one may either be/A cat that nibbles a moment/Or a mouse in eternity”–soulless bureaucracy is symbolized by the odious, pedantic ogress symbolically named Mrs. Jennifer Patch, who is roundly despised by all the caseworkers in her office–and by everyone else who encounters her. The novel is narrated by caseworker Jane Wallace, a confirmed detective fiction freak whose best friend and crime fiend alike is one of her cases, an elderly decayed gentleman invalid by the name of Mr. Lawrence, who lives alone with “his devoted friend” Andrew. Their talk about crime fiction is one of the highlights of the novel. It is Mr. Lawrence, in classic armchair fashion, who will eventually solve the murder of Mrs. Patch..."