A Day Off by Storm Jameson was originally published in 1933 and is really more of a novella than a full length novel. With this story the author brings her reader into the life of a working class, single woman in her forties. She had worked in a glove shop, but gave up her job to live on 2 pounds a week that a “gentleman caller” provided. Unfortunately this caller had not shown up this week and she is afraid that he is not coming back. At age 40, overweight, hair color fading and wrinkles starting to appear she will not have an easy time finding another fellow to foot the bill. Although on the edge of despair, she fights not to give in and tries to remain hopeful that her gentleman caller will come back. She decides to give herself a day off and heads to Richmond Park.

The day is spent in contemplation of her life, from her early days in a Yorkshire factory town to her coming to London and the various turns that her life has taken. Before the day is over, she gives in to her fears and allows herself to take a further step toward the destruction of her values and spirit.

A Day Off is a sad and depressing portrait of woman who is well past her prime and down on her luck, she lives a dingy life with no brightness on the horizon. The author brilliantly captures this woman and the result is frightening and all too real. Anyone who has faced financial anxiety and the loneliness of a life alone will be moved by this story that takes place over the course of one day. ( )

Find my thoughts here: http://loucindy.typepad.com/blog/2008/12/a-day-off-by-storm-jameson.html ( )