Monday, January 31, 2022

R.C. Sherriff, The Fortnight in September **** 1/2

When I first unwrapped this Christmas present from Evelyn, its cover design (pastel colors, New Yorker-style drawing, insouciant font) led me to assume it was a contemporary "beach read" featuring a first romance, a mystery, or both. Then I looked closer: the recommendation on the cover comes from Kazuo Ishiguro rather than Reese's Book Club, and the author was born in... 1896! The paperback is a 90th anniversary edition disguised as light contemporary fiction.

The Fortnight in September follows the Stevens family on their annual two-week vacation at the English seaside town of Bognor Regis. It starts on the evening before their departure, with each family member completing their "Marching Orders" to prepare the house, travels with them through the mingled excitement and anxiety of the train journey, and settles in at Mrs Huggett's increasingly rundown boarding house.

It is quite a relaxing read, perfect for when you're on vacation yourself. The story has no real conflict in it, so it doesn't build any narrative tension. Every concern of the characters gets resolved within a few pages. The men of the family display a stereotypically British status anxiety, but it's nothing a nice walk across the downs can't help. The details are dated and/or British –– no electric lighting on the third floor, blazers for strolling the beach, playing cricket in the sand –– but the concerns are universal. Did we remember to leave the scullery window ajar for the cat? Is the better to return on Saturday, leaving a day at home before work, or Sunday, giving an extra day at the beach?

It turns out the cover was not misleading after all: The Fortnight in September is an excellent beach read! As Kazuo Ishiguro said, "The beautiful dignity to be found in everyday living has rarely been captured more delicately."

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