The Whole Day Through by Patrick Gale
Novel About Carers From the Author of Notes From an Exhibition
Patrick Gale explores the loves and lives of carers in his 2009 novel The Whole Day Through. This book is not as complex as Notes From an Exhibition and has none of the hidden mystery of Rough Music, however The Whole Day Through is filled with tenderness and compassion.
A Story of Carers
The theme of carers reminds the reader of the sacrifices thousands of people make each day, caring for parents or siblings. Many people, like the elegantly independent Laura in the book, have no choice.
"The facts were cruel in their simplicity : Mummy needed a carer, no one but Laura could fill the role...."
According to the UK Carers organisation, the character of Laura as a carer is not unusual. They state that three out of five people will care at some stage of their working lives. If they did not do this, it would cost Britain a staggering £87 billion each year.
The cost to carers is also staggering as 80% of those now aged between 50 and 60 have given up their careers in order to become carers.
Mother and Daughter Relationship
The Whole day Through could have developed into a series of ever-increasing depressing incidents. Instead, Patrick Gale creates a sensitive story showing the impact people have on each other in different relationships. He shows the humour and kindness needed between mother and daughter, particularly where the parenting role is reversed.
In some ways Laura becomes the more concerned mother, whilst recognising and mourning the gaps in her own childhood. Her brilliant professor-mother had, after all, been too busy to pay much attention to her daughter.
Gay Brother Bobby
Alongside Laura and her mother, we meet Ben, a genito-urinary specialist working with sexually transmitted diseases. He is also a carer for his gay brother Bobby, who has Mosaic Down Syndrome. This may challenge some readers thinking that people with Down Syndrome lack sex lives, gay or straight.
In an interview at the end of the book, Patrick Gale comments on the mixed emotions of love and resentment that flow through the carer's relationship. Drawing on his personal experience of living with a chronically ill parent, he makes the point that carers are often taken for granted and given no outside support or relief.
The love that is shared between Ben and Laura is handled gently and sweetly, a stark contrast against a background of STDs, disabling old age and emotional manipulation.
Story Set in Winchester
Although Patrick Gale was born on the Isle of Wight, he grew up in Winchester which is the setting for this bittersweet book.
Patrick Gale's trademark twists and turns bring a surprise ending to The Whole Day Through that makes a great holiday read.
The Whole Day Through by Patrick Gale
HarperCollins Publishers 2009
ISBN 978-0-00-730601-5
The Whole Day Through
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