What We Did on Our Holiday

by John Harding

Thirty-somethings Nick and Laura have been married for 10 years and things aren't going well. She senses her biological clock ticking away and wants children while he doesn't. Not because he doesn't like children but because he feels a child would be just one responsibility too many.Nick's problem is his parents. He's devoted to them of course, but sometimes even he finds his patience wearing a little thin which in turn brings on the guilt. But they are rather a handful. They're conservative, highly eccentric and increasingly infirm. His Mum's so enormously overweight that her heart's now a bit dicky and she is certainly no longer up to looking after Dad by herself. He's got Parkinson's Disease - not the shaking kind, as Mum's always reminding people - but he's unable to do even the simplest task himself and needs constant care and attention.Nick knows the time has come to take the matter in hand but things need to be handled carefully. And so he and Laura take them to Malta for what they hope will be a happy final family holiday. Nick thinks his only problem is going to be avoiding Laura's amorous advances but this particular island turns out to be a sun-kissed cupboard with more than its fair share of skeletons...Tackling a taboo subject with sensitivity, understanding, great affection and good humour, What We Did On Our Holiday is a remarkably uplifting, moving and reassuring novel about a time in our lives when it seems roles are reversed and we find ourselves looking after the very people we'd always assumed would be there to look after us.

Genres: Fiction, Novels

315 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2000

Reviews

[Alesa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a pretty unusual novel, in that it is hilarious, sad, true and poignant dealing with Parkinson's disease.

The plot sounds predictable. A 30's British couple takes one set of parents on a two-week vacation to Malta. The father has late-stage Parkinson's disease. The mother is morbidly obese, and the full-time caregiver of the father. Anyone who has been a serious caregiver will empathize with the predicaments that emerge (demented disabled person in an airplane toilet, and other disastrous toileting-related incidents). You almost cringe reading at the hilarious descriptions which really are incredibly sad.

There's a family secret that unfolds surrounding a previously unknown son, half-brother to the narrator. There are references to the WWII siege of Malta, which the population was reduced to eating rats and insects. The scenes when the narrator is trying to avoid sex with his loving (and lusty) wife, because he fears her getting pregnant, are priceless -- if a bit far fetched. The plot twists are fun and the finale is truly gratifying.

This book made me cringe and laugh at the same time. A lot of it is not exactly politically correct, mainly the parts about difficulties caring for a disabled person. But they ring true. And the emotional minefields of traveling with family are spot on.

I couldn't wait to find time to keep reading...

[Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not at all what was expected from the blurb, this is a poignant, well-written novel of the indignities of a seventy year-old man with advanced Parkinson’s Disease and the responsibility taken by his quintessentially English lower-middle-class wife and his married thirtyish son and daughter-in-law who take the parents on holiday to Malta, partly to find the father’s son from a wartime liaison. Moving but unsentimental with rounded characters and leavened (literally) with toilet humour, this is a great read.

[Genevieve Barker · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. Made me laugh and cry.

[Jacula · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can't do a better review for this than the one from Matthew Baylis on Amazon:

"Nick is 36 and he's still going on holiday with his Mum and Dad. But What We Did on Our Holiday is no ordinary outing. The health and sanity of his elderly parents are retreating rapidly, and this may be their final sojourn in the sun. Nick takes them to Malta, a cherished spot in his father's wartime memories, and in doing so unleashes an army of skeletons from the family cupboard.

Meanwhile, Nick's wife Laura has a biological clock louder than Big Ben--and she is determined to become pregnant. Nick is equally determined--by foul means or fair--to avoid fatherhood, and enlists an array of unconventional contraceptive methods, including sunburn, a saucepan of Horlicks and a loaded turkey baster. None of these, however, cause quite so much chaos as Anthony Spiteri, the debonair Maltese businessman claiming kinship with Nick's family.

Harding has crafted a witty and original plot which tackles the awkward aspects of old age in a voice that is refreshingly honest. He paints a touching and sensitive picture of a couple in their final years, but avoids sentimentality. Nick's mother is 18 stone and worries she will waste away if she misses breakfast. His father meanwhile, terminally constipated and rarely intelligible, wields the word "toilet" as his one remaining weapon. The humour--centred around funny foreigners, bowel movements and sex--is very British, but this is far from a cosy book, and its conclusion is as moving as it is unpredictable. --Matthew Baylis"

I can add that the book made me laugh and cry in similar measure.

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, this was a surprise!

I went into it expecting a 'beach read', nothing too strenuous to read. It was a hard read, especially for someone who has or had a disabled family member, but it was very brave and voiced the thoughts that you have deep down and feel to guilty to say. Part of that guilt is 'people shouldn't say things like that' and partly survivor guilt - Nick was well when his Dad was so very much not.

There were several 'twists' in the book, mostly unsurprising, except for the last one which left me with so many questions. "WTF??" was probably the one that was the loudest LOL

Basically you plod along reading a fairly reasonably written book, quite happily not being stretched, waiting for what you can see is coming a mile away, and then - wallop - you get smacked in the face with a plot twist that totally shocks.

[Cathie · Rating 4 out of 5]

My four-star rating reflects the engaging writing and sometimes brutally graphic but accurate depictions of an aging parent’s physical and mental decline. I liked the book until the ending, which seemed out of character and left me thinking not so much of what the narrator had just done but the inevitable and immediate consequences that would result in the real world.

[Plum-crazy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The back cover says of this book .."tackling a taboo subject with sensitivity, compassion & a total lack of sentimentality... this about the time in our lives when we find ourselves looking after the very people we'd always assumed would be there to look after us..."

The story tells of the fortnight holiday Nick & his family spend on the island of Malta. The characters are all likeable, believable & are easy to empathise with. Nick's father suffers from Parkinson's disease & is now scarcely able to walk or talk. Half the time he doesn't know which country or decade he's in & for some reason has become obsessed with sex & lavatories. Mum, weighs in at a formidable 18 stone although she seems convinced that she's a size 10. Laura his wife has her biological alarm clock ringing, she's desperate for children - Nick's is fighting off her amorous advances on a nightly basis. And if that's not enough to contend with a ghost from dad's wartime past comes back to haunt them all....putting Nick's feelings for his parents to the test.

The way each member of the family copes with his father's illness is well depicted & makes the story both funny & sad at the same time. The issues of severe & disabling illness & the stresses it inflicts on both the sufferers & their carers/family were dealt with in a sensitive & straightforward way. If I had a criticism it would be the Nick/Laura subplot. I know many couples are in this situation but what with the turkey baster, cut knees etc it seemed a bit on the silly side at times. Overall, a very good read.

[Hel Cruse · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh dear lord.

Holiday reading I thought.

I started on the plane and was instantly gripped. I know the mother in this story. I know the wife. The characters were all very relatable.

Nicholas who narrates is trying to do his best by everyone but he is in a difficult place.

It looked like the holiday was going to be a special event

And it was

But not the event I was expecting

I actually sat for ten minute after finishing it saying to myself ‘oh god, oh god’.


I’d really like a sequel



I came back and upped my star from four to five. I was laying on the beach today and found myself nearly crying about the story. It hit home hard.

[Lynne Dixon · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took me a while to get into this book but it really grew on me. Set in Malta in the 80's, it's about 36 year old Nick who takes his wife, his Parkinson-suffering father and his obese-but-thinks-she's-a-size-10 mother on a family holiday which would change their lives forever. It's quite graphic in places, and although it's a novel, I feel sure the author must have had first hand experience with Parkinsons at some time because of the detail, and yet it still manages to be quite funny.
And I did not see the ending coming at all!

[Sue · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not quite what you might expect from the title, or even from the blurb. A funny, moving and rather engaging story with quite a lot of excrement! The characters were pretty rounded, though not always likeable. Difficult issues approached with sometimes excruciating honesty, the ending was totally unexpected. No spoilers, it's worth reading.
I want to give it three and a half stars, but can't quite manage four.

[Adrian Chapman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can honestly say that this was one of the best novels I'd ever read. Most people I know then read it! It was right up my street and created some weird pictures in the brain, but all with a smile and much humour. I really did sit and laugh out loud.
If you struggle reading, read this and you'll get back into the swing of reading.

[Lanny A Netz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very different genre for me. I don't now why I chose to read it, but I am glad I did. The writer tells a story that is both sweet and sad, but with humor that keeps it from being a total downer. Maybe it touched me because I too am getting old and I have a son that helps me willingly. I pray to God that I never get in the condition that his father was, at only 70 years old.

[Jess Hayhurst · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable read, I related to the parts about having an elderly parent to look after! I expected this to be something easy to read whilst on holiday but it ended up being a little bit emotional in parts. The descriptions about Malta were spot on too!

[Alan · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were parts that were amusing and some other parts insightful but overall it was not a satisfying read.
It was not one to encourage me to read others books by the same author

[Polly Barnes · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting story but parts were so convoluted and some would say vulgar. Talk about poop and penis!?! The inter mixing of the family personalities was realistic but predictable.

[Alumine Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was so pleased to come across another Harding. I have thoroughly enjoyed Florence and Giles, and One Big Damn Puzzler, and with this one I was not disappointed.
Harding creates memorable characters and there are laugh out loud parts. The holiday in question is a return to Malta for Nick, his wife and his elderly parents. So far, so simple. But his dad has Parkinson's disease, his mother is obese and his wife is desperate to get pregnant.
The descriptions of the challenge and routines of getting Dad out of bed every morning are treated in a humorous way although describe the degree of tedium and hardship in dealing with Dad's degenerative disease. Mum is controlled by food and there is a sadness about her condition too. Nick has a strong voice in the story and he tries very hard to please everyone.
Tying all the characters together is the search for Dad's illegitimate son who was conceived during a brief stay on Malta during the War. The story is very successful because Harding has just the right elements to make us sympathise with the characters, be intrigued by the search for the lost son and gives us a touching conclusion to the story. I highly recommend Harding's books and have enjoyed all of them immensely.

[Adam · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novel completely blind-sided me. I spend the first half not really liking it. But by the end I felt a real connection with the characters and felt it offered far more to the reader than its sparse story line. I read this novel because I loved 'One Big Damn Puzzler' and this book had many of the features I loved about that book: an honest humour with subtle commentary about the human condition. Well worth a read.

[Pranoti · Rating 3 out of 5]

Morbid yet strangely compelling. I picked it up thinking it would be a humorous look at a parent child relationship in the context and confines of a holiday. Turned out to be a insightful,difficult and often disturbing look at the guilt and range of complex emotions in the care of a chronically ill and disabled parent. I kept on asking myself why I was reading it - and yet I couldn't stop.

[Mona · Rating 4 out of 5]

REFRESHING..!
It started out almost frivolous but as I neared the end of the story, I realised what one of the reviewers meant by "Generosity of spirit". The end took me by COMPLETE surprise! Touching actually..in hindsight.
Humour at its most candid for most part of the book..Definitely a good, light read.

[Mac.Hawk · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars really.

Decent synopsis, a few nice twists, a bit repetitive in detail relating to the parents medical conditions (mainly the fathers). A fairly predictable twist near the end and an ending some people might find a bit lacking.

[Emma]

zon, zee en ander leed

[Dianne · Rating 2 out of 5]

i found this book to be a bit boring to be honest... right up to the very end!!!

[yamiyoghurt · Rating 2 out of 5]

I like the way the author explored the intricacies of the issues on aging and parkinson's. But this book is just okay, not exactly a page turner.

[Carol Turner · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quite funny/sad/touching book. Enjoyed it overall, but could have done without all the poo descriptions!! Too much info!