I received an ARC of this title from the publisher.In this comedy about old age, Amis provides us with a geriatric cast of characters living under the same roof who are basically trying to stay as comfortable and happy as possible before they die. There are five septuagenarians in total, three men and two women. Although they want nothing put peace in their final years, they manage to annoy each other and bicker to the point where peace is the last thing that any one of them is going find.Adela is the one who holds the whole operation together by paying the bills, doing all of the cooking and shopping and generally trying to make peace among her roommates. She is not the most attractive woman and she has never been married but she is the caretaker to everyone in the house to the point that she ignores her own health issues.Adela’s brother Bernand, the most cantankerous one of the bunch, is also the most amusing. He has a bad leg which seems to be better or worse, depending on whether or not he is asked to do physical labor. He provokes the others into arguments during conversation for his own amusement and he is very fond of attempting practical jokes. His favorite weapons are stink bombs, feces, a squirt gun and urine.A happy drunk named Shorty is also one of the residents of the cottage. Shorty loves alcohol and he thinks he is fooling everyone about his habit by hiding bottles all over the house. He is also the servant of the group and is always cleaning up and serving tea. Shorty and Bernard are actually ex-lovers, which fact produces a few bawdy jokes throughout the book.The other woman in the group is a flighty woman named Marigold. Marigold loves to write letters, spend time with her grandchildren and do everything she can to avoid Bernard. When Marigold starts losing her memory, she is desperate to keep this secret from Bernard whom she is sure will use this information against her.The last member of the household is George, a former brother-in-law of Bernard. George is a kindly old professor who has had a stroke and cannot get around on his own. The group has taken him in because he has no where else to go and Bernard is not happy about this situation.ENDING UP is a funny novel about the inevitability of growing old and dealing with the vast array of issues that come along with this mortal condition. It is ironic and funny that each of these septuagenarians are responsible for his or her own demise at the end of the book. Thanks again to the New York Review of Books for reviving another great classics.For more of my reviews visit: www.thebookbindersdaughter.com
Having written my bachelor thesis on eldercare in contemporary China, I was particularly curious about the group dynamics in the fictional surroundings which the five protagonists have chosen to confine themselves to. Instead of moving into a nursing home - living with adult offspring out of the question for most of them, as they are largely childless - with around the clock care, they have decided to retain a level of independence. Some would automatically add "and dignity", but that is not quite the case in this droughty cottage. They are in fact, quite independent from the outside world - bar country physician Dr Mainwaring - but very dependent on one another. If you have ever wondered what being old is like, this makes for a pretty good case study. Each of the five has their own share of problems: Bernard Bastable suffers from a bad leg, though the pain is quite arbitrarily at that. His spinster sister Adela, bossy head of housekeeping, yearns for acknowledgement and affection. Derrick Shortall - nicknamed Shorty - their much despised quasi-servant, copes with life by drinking himself into a stupor and talking in varying accents. Emeritus professor George Zeyer, brother-in-law to Bernard, lies in bed all day because of a stroke. Finally, there is Marigold Pyke, who uses annoying baby-talk and covers up her fear of senility by threatening to leave because of Bernard's relentless malice.It struck me how much these elderly were set in their ways. Also, they did not appear particularly wiser or more patient than - for example - Marigold's twenty-something grandchildren. In fact, their behaviour became increasingly irresponsible, with Bernard launching his terror "operations" on Shorty and Marigold. It seemed to me that the only difference between them and me (a thirty-something) was physical and mental health (me holding the advantage) and a busier schedule.The protagonists' fight against their rapidly declining capacities is tragic, their increasing inability to lead dignified lives frustrating and more. Yet, the author manages to lighten up the situation - without making their existences any less relevant - by turning their daily struggle into a sketch, a black comedy even. I found this particularly admirable.
What do You think about Ending Up (1976)?
Five elderly people – a brigadier sent down for homosexuality; his one-time lover and now drunken quasi-servant; his ugly sister who has never been loved; her insincere friend who is approaching senility; and a paralyzed professor emeritus, once the brigadier’s brother-in-law – live in boredom and decrepitude, detesting one another, in a crumbling cottage. Resentment, malice, or at the very least unavoidable circumstance are the only things keeping them together.Humor doesn’t come any darker than this slim volume that drips with venom. Bernard, the brigadier, told he is dying, decides to liven up his last months with petty acts of disruption, but his efforts are largely ineffectual. Marigold, afraid of her oncoming senility, stays in the cottage taking his abuse because only these four people can remember her husband for her. The book drew me in effortlessly; it’s readable and meticulously constructed. I remain disturbed by the simply harrowing ending. Especially for George, the long-suffering, patient, jolly professor who keeps writing even though no one is interested. A dreadful end for him. The book is, in addition to being thick with the blackest of humor, a keen depiction of how Western society treats its elders, and to a lesser but related extent, how gaps and differences (class, background, sexual preference) separate people as much as age does. [read twice]
—Ensiform
داستان پنج آدم مسن که در خانهای قدیمی دور از شهر زندگی می کنندآدلا، برادرش برنارد، مریگولد دوستِ آدلا، جورج که سکته کرده است و سمت راست بدنش فلج شده (برادر زنِ برنارد) و شورتی مستخدم خانهبه همراه گربهی مریگولد و سگِ پیرِ جورجگاهی تکههای طنز و موقعیت هایی شیطنت آمیز در داستان دیده می شود اما به طور کلی با توجه به شخصیت های پیری که در داستان وجود دارد فضای آن کمی خسته کننده و یکنواخت است
—mohsen pourramezani
