It is 1991, and Cyril and Kay Wilkinson are in their early fifties, he a GP, she a nurse. They have been to the funeral of Kay’s father, dead after ten years of physical and mental decay that has drained both their financial and emotional reserves. And there are still three aged parents left.
As NHS professionals they acknowledge the load also placed on the health services, and the national finances, by such a lengthy demise. They resolve to not be such a burden to the nation, nor their three children. They make a pact – to end their lives voluntarily when Kay (the younger by a year) reaches the age of eighty, when they judge life tips from worth living to the downward slope into dotage. Cyril immediately obtains the means to fulfil their intentions, which is henceforth stored in a black soapbox at the back of the fridge.
Thirty years later, both in reasonable health though carrying the average deficiencies of their ages, push is approaching shove, and the black soapbox in the fridge is looming large. Time to review matters – should they go as planned, or should they stay?
Shriver then plays with the possibilities – second thoughts, disagreement, stubbornness, third party interventions – and in a series of alternative endings, maps out potential outcomes. That these take place in post-Brexit, post-Covid, Britain adds to the fun.
Darkly humorous and
deftly executed, it articulates questions we need to address about quality of
life and responsibility for care as the population ages. It is a book
brilliantly conceived, thought provoking throughout, and written with fluency
and commendable conciseness.
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