The Martian

Barty's life story reaches a low ebb when he attempts suicide, which introduces Martia, the Martian, into his and the reader's consciousness. Martia has been reincarnated many times on Mars and she informs Barty that she has selected him and a future wife that she has selected for him to be her earth-based parents. Barty does not wish to marry the aristocratic young woman that Martia has selected, instead choosing the worthy, but less-aristocratic Leah. Their family life comprises the rest of the story, and the meditations upon life after death and the future that du Maurier envisioned for both Martians and earthbound souls.