“Killing Time ” by Alan Bennett
OFF THE SHELF
“Killing Time ” by Alan Bennett
We were looking forward to reading Alan Bennett’s Killing Time, but as a group we were ultimately disappointed. The story follows a group of elderly residents in a care home, among them Winnie — a once-glamorous actress whose memory and health are beginning to fail. Around her, other residents navigate the boredom, indignities and small absurdities that make up the daily rhythm of institutional life.
When COVID arrives, the home goes into lockdown. Residents are cut off from their families, routines crumble, and staff are pushed to their limits.
Although we appreciated Bennett’s flashes of wry humour and the darkly comic moments that surface as the residents pass their remaining time in confinement, the overall tone felt unexpectedly unkind. Instead of the honest, moving and bitingly funny voice we associate with Bennett. The writing struck us as dispassionate, grim, stark and often emotionally distant — at times even edging towards the hurtful in its portrayal of the characters lives.
We also felt the story was rushed and under-developed. Characters appear and disappear quickly, leaving little space to build a sense of connection or emotional investment. Rather than feeling engaged or comfortably moved, many of us were left unsettled by the book’s bleakness and its abrupt handling of both life and death in the home.
As a group we admired Bennett’s skill, but Killing Time didn’t resonate with us as hoped. We gave it 5/10.