Author : Geoffrey Tate
What is it about : The book contained around twenty short stories of the life, memory, happenings and romances of the 100 oldies living in a purpose-built retirement estate, somewhere on the coast of Dorset. The actions by and large, took place around The Atrium where coffee and digestives were dished out to these seniors wearing woolly jumpers and cardigans. These stories included whirlwind romantic liaison, both present and war-time, Christmas parties gone horribly wrong and turning into a fiasco and a motley mix of "situation comedies" revolving around the jealousy, bickering and the love and hate between these geriatric members.
Some thoughts after having read the book : The book gave a credible inside look into how such a pensioners' estate would operate and the incidents felt true as to how these end-days counting seniors would behave as well as their attitudes towards inheritance, funerals, hobbies and how they would treat their unreliable memoirs. The stories were written in concise English and always with a wry look at life and a deft touch of humour.
Would I recommend this book to you : I would recommend this book as a primer if you were intending to join one of these retirement homes one day; then you would get a good feel of the daily life and living as well as the characters you were likely to meet "at The Atrium". Of course, the book merited a read just for the humour, insights and uniqueness.
