Thirty-somethings Nick and Laura have been married for 10 years and things aren't going well. She senses her biological clock ticking away and wants children while he doesn't. Not because he doesn't like children but because he feels a child would be just one responsibility too many. Nick's problem is his parents. He's devoted to them of course, but sometimes even he finds his patience wearing a little thin which in turn brings on the guilt. But they are rather a handful. They're conservative, highly eccentric and increasingly infirm. His Mum's so enormously overweight that her heart's now a bit dicky and she is certainly no longer up to looking after Dad by herself. He's got Parkinson's Disease - not the shaking kind, as Mum's always reminding people - but he's unable to do even the simplest task himself and needs constant care and attention. Nick knows the time has come to take the matter in hand but things need to be handled carefully. And so he and Laura take them to Malta for what they hope will be a happy final family holiday. Nick thinks his only problem is going to be avoiding Laura's amorous advances but this particular island turns out to be a sun-kissed cupboard with more than its fair share of skeletons...Tackling a taboo subject with sensitivity, understanding, great affection and good humour, "What We Did On Our Holiday" is a remarkably uplifting, moving and reassuring novel about a time in our lives when it seems roles are reversed and we find ourselves looking after the very people we'd always assumed would be there to look after us.
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About the Author
John Harding was born in the Isle of Ely in 1951. After local village and grammar schools, he read English at Oxford. He worked as a newspaper reporter, magazine writer and editor before becoming a freelance writer. What We Did On Our Holiday was shortlisted for the WHSmith New Talent Award. His other novels, While the Sun Shines and One Big Damn Puzzler, are also published by Black Swan. He lives in Richmond upon Thames with his wife and two sons
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Best Book I've Read in a Long Time,
This review is from: What We Did on Our Holiday (Paperback)
I have a bad habit of picking up books on used bookstore sale racks ... there's usually a reason they cost less than a dollar. Not the case here! This book is a real gem - I was immediately interested in the characters and continued to be engrossed in their lives through the end (and I've read some bestsellers recently where I couldn't say the same.) Plus, this novel presents a genuine, poignant, and humorous portrayal of elderly infirmity in a way I have never experienced, either on screen or in a book (this would make a great indie film, by the way.) My only criticism is that the sub-plot in the protagonist's bedroom gets a little corny at times (the turkey baster scene) and there's a bit more description of the father's bowel movements than I cared to read about. But this can all be forgiven in light of the book's many attributes.
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