Main content
Sorry, this episode is not currently available

Episode 3

Episode 3 of 10

Who is the other patient, hidden behind a screen, in the internment camp infirmary?

A tale of love, art and prejudice set in wartime Brighton.

"Fear was an infection - airborne, seaborne - rolling in off the Channel, and although no one spoke of it, no one was immune to it. Fifty miles of water was a slim moat to an enemy that had taken five countries in two months, and Brighton, regrettably, had for centuries been hailed as an excellent place to land."

In May 1940, Geoffrey and Evelyn Beaumont and their Philip, anxiously await news of invasion on the beaches of Brighton. Geoffrey, a banker, becomes Superintendent of the internment camp on the edge of town while Evelyn is gripped first by fear and then quiet but growing desperation.

A discovery widens a fault-line in family life.

Episode 3:
Who is the other patient - hidden behind a screen - in the internment camp infirmary?

Alison MacLeod lives in Brighton. She was shortlisted for the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ National Short Story Award in 2011 and her story 'Solo, A Capella', about the Tottenham riots, featured in the Radio 4 series 'Where Were You ...' in 2012. Her previous works include The Changeling and The Wave Theory of Angels. Unexploded was long-listed for the Man Booker Prize in 2013. Alison is Professor of Contemporary Fiction at the University of Chichester.

Reader: Emma Fielding
Abridger: Jeremy Osborne

Producer: Rosalynd Ward
A Sweet Talk production for Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Radio 4.

15 minutes

Last on

Wed 2 Apr 2014 22:45

Credits

Role Contributor
Reader Emma Fielding
Producer Rosalynd Ward
Abridger Jeremy Osborne
Author Alison MacLeod

Broadcast

  • Wed 2 Apr 2014 22:45

Books

Celebrating reading and the 100 novels that have shaped our world.

How many of these 100 Novels have you read?

How many of these 100 Novels have you read?

After a passionate debate, our panel has come up with this surprising literary selection.

Finding Your Story

Finding Your Story

Ten remarkable novels about identity: Which one will help you discover yourself?

Short stories to keep

The fiction podcast featuring the best stories from the UK's finest writers