Starred review from September 1, 2021
Decades after this novel was first published in 1931, Sherriff described it as an "everyday kind of story" about an "ordinary sort of people." But the book is extraordinary. Capturing the passing thoughts and feelings that give texture to daily life, it follows the Stevenses, a working-class family of five, on their annual trip to Bognor, a coastal British town. There is no great drama during their vacation, just the sweetness of the two-week reprieve from work--Mr. Stevens' loosened collar, Mrs. Stevens' evening glass of sherry, son Dick's ruddy glow. Beginning on "Going Away Evening," the book's first third tells of their travel preparation and journey. The pages are full of anticipation. Sherriff aptly stretches this time at the start of the vacation, while the days that follow speed by at a quickened pace. The fading house where the family stays each year launches reflection on the long passage of time through the years. Even as they plan for next year--Mrs. Stevens will buy buns on Sunday, not Saturday; they will again reserve a bathing hut with a balcony--there's a sense that time is ticking on these vacations. It must be savored, and so, too, should this very special book.
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