Witty, wry, and whimsical. That pretty much sums up Cockfosters, the collection of short stories by the fiercely funny author Helen Simpson who offers up a satirical look at British society. Bonus points if you are over age 50, because this is the demographic Simpson targets, and as a member of that generation, I can attest: she is spot on.
Cockfosters?
“Cockfosters” is the title of the first short story, taken from the location Cockfosters which is at the end of the Piccadilly Line in London (I checked with my London correspondent who confirmed this is true). In this story, two middle aged women plan an outing and hop on the Tube. Upon departing at the Green Park station, one woman is dismayed to realize she left her glasses on the train. They will wait for the next train and go to the end of the line to retrieve the glasses.
But of course, it’s more than just that. As the train zips through London, the friends ruminate about former classmates, technology, films, and mortality. Author Helen Simpson writes deftly and captures the realness of a conversation. In this story, and others, I was so enamored of her clever writing.
“This train will terminate here,” came a station announcement. “Cockfosters station. This is the end of the line.”
“But not for us,” quipped Phillipa, laughing, patting her friend’s arm.
“Erewhon” caught me off guard until I realized the story was about role reversal. A man lies awake in the early hours of the morning, stressing over his body image, his challenges balancing family and job responsibilities, and the poor role model he presents for his anorexic son. He comments on a conversation he had with his wife:
“I know you’ll do things if I nag for long enough,” he’d said to her on their last holiday. “What I really want, though, is for you to take on some of the worrying. Some of the actual work, the thinking and feeling.”
“But I know you’ll do that for me.” She’d smiled. And she’d been right.
“Cheapside” is a story about a man in his 50s experiencing a second marriage with a much younger woman and fatherhood (again) late in life. He is asked to speak to the young son of a friend about a career in law, and unwillingly acquiesces. The story begins with this:
“The question is, is it negligence to place a live body in a coffin?” I said, peering at him over my reading glasses.
In “Kythera,” a woman is baking a Lemon Drizzle cake for her daughter’s birthday — providing snippets of the recipe to us — and pondering the stages of her daughter’s life, from babyhood through the present, from babbling toddler cuteness to teenage angst, with this thought about baking and growing up:
“That rich, homely smell aways surprises me. A tin of sticky raw ingredients goes into the oven and turns into something delicious that didn’t exist before …if I could wave a magic wand over the future, I’d wish you luck, which everyone needs; and satisfying work that pays enough and allows you to look after your children too (if you have them) without half-killing yourself, and the love of a good man (or woman). Don’t ever say yes, by the way, unless you like the way they smell. That’s vital, along with integrity — but smell comes first.”
There are so many gems in Cockfosters. Simpson has the knack of nailing the subtext over and over again, giving us many aha moments. With her spare prose, she shows, not tells — something writers try to do but don’t always achieve.
One of my lucky readers will receive a copy of Cockfosters. Please leave a comment on the Books is Wonderful Facebook page and a winner will be randomly selected. US addresses only, please.
I received a copy of Cockfosters from Vintage Books for an honest review,
which is the only kind of review I write.
