The fortnight in September (1931)

Warmly received in 1931 and later revived by Persephone, Sherriff’s novel gives an ordinary family’s Bognor holiday the attention usually reserved for grand adventures. Preparations, small expenses and hopes for private freedom make the period social world tangible. Its present Persephone edition offers a good way back to a book whose quietness is an artistic choice, rather than an absence of events worth noticing.