Holiday

HOLIDAY

by Stanley Middleton

 

Award: Booker Winner 1974

 

Date Read: April 7, 2023

 

Although Holiday is sparse on plot, the inner-workings of Edwin Fisher’s mind are non-stop as he explores the years he has spent with his wife, Meg. Fisher finds himself on vacation, but not necessarily in a place he would have chosen under normal circumstances. He is in Bealthorpe because this is the town his parents took him to as a child during family vacations.

 

Edwin is alone having left his wife. Their future as a married couple is still uncertain and he is unsure if there is enough of a marriage to return to. As Edwin reminisces about their first meeting, subsequent dates and the early years of their marriage, he recognizes the mistakes they have both made. What also stands out is Meg’s unhinged behavior over the years. She would often resort to histrionics when something happened of which she didn’t approve. But worst of all for any couple is the loss of a child. Edwin and Irene lost their only son Donald when he was only two years old.

 

During his trip, Edwin spends time with other couples on vacation and comes close to having a fling with a married woman. In spending time with other self-loathing British, Edwin begins to accept that no married couple is perfect and that each person brings their own brand of crazy to any relationship. Ultimately, he is glad to shed these new acquaintances when it is time for him to leave.

 

Championing their reconciliation is Meg’s father, Vernon. He and Irene, Meg’s mother, both happen to be vacationing in Bealthorpe at the same time and they meet up several times to discuss what went wrong that caused Edwin to finally leave. He plays reconciler by serving as a mediator between Edwin and Meg and attempts to have them meet up, which is ultimately a fail when Meg refuses to show.

 

Spending time apart in which they can cool off allows Edwin to understand his own heart better and the more crazy he experiences in his fellow countrymen, the more he longs for home. But will Meg accept him back?

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