Greengates – RC Sherriff

RC Sherriff’s The Fortnight in September was one of my favourite novels in 2022 having found a place on My Best Books of 2022 list, and keen to read another and also another Persephone title, I picked up Greengates this time.

Greengates is a wonderful, absorbing tale of retirement, building a new home, the excitement and trepidation of fresh beginnings, and the search for meaning and fulfillment in later life. Just like in The Fortnight in September, the book opens with a glimpse of the central character in an office setting, but while in the former Mr Stevens is looking forward to a two-week break from work to go on the traditional annual holiday with his family, in Greengates, Mr Baldwin’s absence from the work is set to become permanent, it is time for him to retire.

In the opening pages, we are introduced to Tom Baldwin on the last day of his employment as a senior insurance clerk. Now in his late 50s, Mr Baldwin knows the all too familiar routine having presided over many such send-offs himself – a speech given by the manager, followed by the retiree, and then a gift presented for which all the staff members have chipped in and which more often than not turns out to be a clock. Only now, it is Mr Baldwin who is retiring, who is the centre of a tradition that has never wavered a bit in all the years of his employment.

Despite this big and inevitable change, Mr Baldwin, at first, is enthusiastic about charting a new life and routine post retirement. More specifically, Tom looks forward to indulging in his hobbies of reading and gardening and even developing new passions and venturing into new avenues. A newspaper account that he reads of a retired man committing suicide unable to adjust to change, fills Tom Baldwin with contempt further strengthening his resolve that no such fate will befall him.

And yet Mr Baldwin is a tad disconcerted by the fact that what feels a seismic shift to him barely causes a ripple in the perceptions and behaviour of those he interacted with daily at work and home. For starters, he is slightly disappointed with the retirement gift – after having worked for so many years wasn’t he entitled to something better, the contribution coming not just from the local branch but the other branches too? And then there is his wife Edith who carries on as before, their dinner conversation restricted to the usual fare like it’s any other day rather than THE day he has retired.

Soon, as the days progress, Tom’s enthusiasm begins to peter out. He struggles to adjust to his new life of leisure, feeling aimless and disconnected from the sense of purpose that his job once provided. The big shift from a structured work life to the unstructured days of retirement sparks restlessness as he struggles to latch on to his interests in gardening and history, unable to make roadways into either as envisaged and planned. But more importantly, Tom’s despondency and morose demeanour begin to impact and fluster Edith too disrupting her daily routine which provides her a sense of stability that is crucial to her. Tom struggles to make progress in the garden, has a minor conflict with their maid Ada which is a disturbing portend of things to follow, and parks himself into Edith’s favourite armchair by the fireplace everyday thereby putting an end to Edith’s daily restorative break, and essential time for herself.

Their supply of conversation, like a battery that quickly exhausts itself, needed a long period of daily rest for re-charging. There would be a desperate squeezing of the battery in the long, winter nights ahead.

She saw now how futile had been her vision of a cheerful, resourceful woman, encouraging a husband to face the demoralising fears of retirement. She had foreseen Tom’s battle, but she had not foreseen her own; and while his battles were clear to understand and easier to grapple with, hers were obscure the more difficult because she must fight on lonely fields in secret. If he chose to discuss his difficulties she might still be able to help him, but she could never discuss hers: the very mention of them would come as a blow in his face. How could she say that his constant presence in the house was making her life unhappy? That his only way of helping her would be to go out, and stay out, for eight hours a day?

Edith’s gentle prodding of making new friends irritates Tom greatly, particularly since entertaining requires money that he can’t quite bring himself to spend now that there’s no steady income to fall back on. Clearly, Tom is adrift, nearly depressed and this begins to exert a strain on their marriage. What’s more, their house called Grasmere in Brondesbury Terrace isn’t exactly inspiring with its faded furnishings and heavy cumbersome furniture despite Edith’s desperate attempts to spruce it up, all of which only heightens the gloom surrounding them.

To confess to failure, thought Mr. Baldwin, might in itself be claimed as a minor success: but to admit that one is facing a blind alley does not flatten walls and produce a distant horizon.

One autumn Saturday, though, everything suddenly changes. Edith manages to persuade a reluctant Tom to go for a country walk as a much-needed change of scene, a walk that the couple enjoyed several years earlier but then stopped. As they traverse the familiar woods and fields, Tom and Edith are tired but also content as they look forward to the tea shop at the end of the hike where they can enjoy cakes, scones, and rest beside the crackling fire.

At first, they are delighted that the path hasn’t changed, but then a construction project springs up out of nowhere and halts them in their tracks. They are disturbed by this development, by the ghastliness of the mud and construction equipment, a blight on a pristine landscape. But then, a salesman convinces them to tour one of their show houses. As Tom and Edith step inside, they are entranced by the cleanliness and newness of the house, the abundance of space and modern amenities, so unlike the pondering build of Grasmere, their current residence.

They love the house but are tentative about expressing their feelings to one another; after all, they can’t quite imagine themselves owning such a home. But then Tom and Edith realise that they are on the same page, they would want to move into such a home and rebuild their lives, as they excitedly and fearfully put their heads together thinking and reworking their finances and how they can go about selling Grasmere and purchasing a spacious, light-filled home in Welden Valley, a move that will see them abandoning the bleakness of suburbia for the peace and tranquility of the countryside.

The rest of the novel then charts how Tom and Edith go about selling Grasmere and their old furniture, financing the purchase of their new home, the agonies while it is getting built, the inevitable delays, the final move, and beginning life anew in a home they will come to call Greengates. The move represents a significant shift for both: for Tom, it symbolizes a chance to redefine his identity and reclaim a sense of purpose; for Edith, it embodies the hope of a more comfortable and fulfilling domestic life.

As you can see, it’s a pretty straightforward novel with not much plot and a hopeful ending because just like The Fortnight in September, Sheriff is not interested in exploring big-scale tragedies or unique situations, rather his books are about ordinary people and their daily lives marked by hopes, fears, small pleasures and disappointments that form the hallmark of our existence where career prospects, retirement, buying a home, and marriage and relationships are big and important milestones.

Greengates, then, explores a range of themes such as retirement, starting afresh in later life, finding a new purpose, a desire for renewal, and the challenge of embracing change. It also dwells on identity and purpose as Tom’s feelings of rootlessness post retirement highlight how closely his sense of self was tied to his occupation. Another theme explored is the importance of community and forming new friendships which becomes crucial for the Baldwins once they ensconce themselves in Welden Valley.

Sherriff brilliantly captures the sense of excitement, aspiration, sprinkle of recklessness, bouts of fear, and the sudden twinge of nostalgia associated with the whole process of buying a new house and selling the old one – the exhilaration of new beginnings in a vastly better set-up, and the sliver of sadness at leaving an old home and all the memories it holds, however unbearable it lately had become.

More specifically, Greengates highlights the marital dynamics between Mr Baldwin and Edith and how circumstances and surroundings can influence it. Indeed, Tom and Edith’s relationship evolves throughout the novel revealing the strengths and tensions in their marriage, and their initial misunderstandings to be followed by mutual support are portrayed with much depth and realism. For instance, at the very beginning after Tom’s retirement – the Baldwins are compelled to navigate the prospect of spending a larger part of their days together which seems daunting because they seem at a loss as far as topics of conversation go. Earlier, when Tom was working, evenings were spent with him entertaining Edith with anecdotes and experiences related to the office and the city, by turns, Edith recounted various matters relating to the house, and these exchanges were enough to fill an evening, but how do they now fill up their days in a situation where both are home and there’s not much scope for friends and entertaining?

The decay of Grasmere also weighs heavy on them in the way it unflatteringly amplifies the sense that they are growing old with the slow but steady approach of eventual death. But Welden Valley changes all that infusing in the Baldwins a sense of adventure and energy, transforming them, where they come together as a team to make their dreams and aspirations come true and give their marriage and circumstances a new lease of life.  

In Greengates, then, Sherriff displays a keen eye in his portrayal of the ordinariness of the everyday employing a writing style that is simple and engaging and ultimately profound. His empathetic depiction of the Baldwins’ journey makes the novel a timeless reflection on navigating big changes and the quest for personal fulfillment. Highly recommended!