The Fortnight in September (1931) by R.C. Sherriff

 

🏖️ The Fortnight in September is a tale about holiday. No, it's not a story that takes place in a holiday resort, or about events that happen during a holiday. No, the story is about the holiday itself, like the Holiday is one of the main characters; a central one. The Stevens is a lower middle class family lives in 22 Corunna Road, Dulwich. For the last fifteen years, their annual two-weeks summer holiday was spent regularly in the seaside resort of Bognor. Not only at the same region, they have always stayed at the same boarding house called Seaview, that belongs to a Mrs. Huggett (widowed for several years). The boarding house, the Stevens found, was always satisfactory when Mr. and Mrs. Huggett ran them together. But after Mr. Huggett died, they began to see slight decrease in the service. Nonetheless, the Stevens loyally continued to stay year after year at Seaview. 🏖️ I personally find the idea of staying at the same holiday place for fifteen years is wonderful. I can see the charm of it. Our family had had that kind of place, but for only two or three years. I remember feeling comfortable in our second stay; it felt like we were returning to an old familiar place, where we knew exactly what we could expect; the quality of the room, the food, the weather, and dozens of tiny little details that make or break the enjoyment of our holidays. Doing it for fifteen years, I imagine, felt like one is owning a summer place of one's self. 🏖️ The story unfolds with details of what ordinary family do, feel, view about their annual holiday. Mr. Stevens is always meticulous at his preparation. When to book the room at Seaview (it's just a letter to confirm to Mrs. Huggett know that the Stevens will be there this summer), how many days ahead precisely is needed to start packing or procuring the necessary paraphernalia of holiday on the seaside resort, and what time precisely they should leave home to allow enough time at the station. The family knows exactly what to bring, which shoes most comfortable to wear, the bathing suit, and don't forget the ball and the kite, and so on. They have done it for fifteen years anyway, so they had been perfecting the holiday in all aspects. But just like any other holiday, there would be one, two, or more unexpected 'complication' that would either ruin the holiday, or mark it to make it memorable. 🏖️ This book, I found, made me pondering over the philosophy of a holiday, more than I expected. The most striking aspect of a holiday will be borne into our memory for the whole year. And that's why it's important to make a holiday as perfect as possible; every choices are counted, for instance, whether you should spend more money to have little luxury. If it turns out bad, you would resent the money overspent (thus ruined the whole holiday for the rest of the work year), but if it turns out satisfactory, it would top your memory of that holiday (and cheer you up for the rest of the work year). A lot is at stake for a fortnight of a holiday - something I have never imagined. 🏖️ On the whole, this was a satisfactory reading experience. I felt like spending time with the Stevens on the seaside, and I enjoyed every stages of their holiday, every details of it. And through the reading, I was reminded of what my past holidays had been like. I had expected this a light read - which it was - but somehow it made me quite sentimental and philosophical, instead. Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2