Muriel Spark
The setting for The Girls of Slender Means by Muriel Spark is a London hostel for young women called the May Teck Club. The year is 1945 at the closing of World War II. Rations and coupons are in high demand. The women residents discuss lovers, food, jobs, coupons, diets, who gets to wear the much sought-after Schiaparelli gown, and who is thin enough to sneak through the upstairs lavatory window to have a clandestine meeting with a lover on the roof.
The women are seemingly oblivious to the political events of the time and conduct their lives as if all is normal. Their superficial concerns are humorous against the backdrop of a world in ruins. The narrative flashes back and forth in time. Among those at the hostel is Joanna, an elocution teacher whose overheard poetry recitations frequently interrupt the narrative. Meanwhile, Jane who works in book publishing, demands quiet while she performs “brain-work.” This consists primarily of fabricating fan letters to famous people in the hope of cashing in on a signed reply. Selina is the beauty in the group who attracts men with ease. Throw into the mix several girls who giggle a lot and a couple of young men who frequent the club, one of whom is married and having an adulterous affair with one of the women; the other is Selena’s lover and an aspiring author.
The narrative drifts from one character or situation to the next. It is peppered with humor, witticisms, and sarcasm but there is no plot, little continuity, and sparse character development. Perhaps its strength lies in depicting the post-war atmosphere as consisting of young people aimlessly drifting while engaging in superficial dialogue to avoid confronting the horrors of war. If so, the narrative echoes the aimless drift in so far as it seems to meander along without much rhyme or reason.