by David Storey
First published 1972
Two elderly men step onto a nearly empty terrace and begin to talk. Their conversation meanders through memories of school, observations about weather and the ocean, thoughts on facial hair, recollections of wartime, and stories of their families. The men speak in fragments, their dialogue spare and wandering. When two women join them in the next scene, the reality becomes clear. They are all patients in a mental hospital, and the terrace sits within its grounds. No dramatic events unfold. No crisis demands resolution. Instead, the afternoon passes in simple human exchange. Through these quiet conversations between people society has set aside, something deeper emerges. The patients reveal their dignity, their longing, their fundamental humanity. By the day's end, their small interactions have built into something that commands both sympathy and honor.
Genres: drama, 20th-century, contemporary, adult-fiction
Vibes: atmospheric, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: character-driven, slice-of-life
Period: 20th-century
88 pages · Paperback · Penguin
Content warnings: mental-illness