Killing Time
Alan Bennett
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From the publisher
Killing Time is a wonderful surprise gift from Alan Bennett - a new story, set in a home for the elderly; a glorious, darkly comic treat.
'A mini-masterpiece.' THE TIMES
'Full of wit and style.' OBSERVER
'A terrific cast of characters, and secrets and chaos aplenty.' iNEWS
'A geriatric Lord of the Flies.' SPECTATOR
We have a choir and on special occasions a glass of dry sherry. It's less of a home and more of a club and very much a community.
Hill Topp House is a superior council home for the elderly. Among the unforgettable residents are Mr Cresswell the ex-cruise ship hairdresser, Mr Peckover the deluded archaeologist, and the enterprising Mrs Foss. Covid is the cause of fatalities and the source of darkly comic confusion, but it's also the key to liberation. As staff are hospitalised, protocol breaks down and the surviving residents seize their moment, to scamper freely, arthritis allowing, in the warmth of the summer sun.
'Violet? She'll be having a little lie-down,' said Mrs McBryde. 'She likes to give her pacemaker a rest. I'll rout her out.'