I first read this story back in 1996, when it appeared in the London Review of Books and was somewhat surprised to see it as a tiny book some five years later! With dry British satire, Playwright Bennett recounts the story of the Ransomes, who return from the opera to find their flat stripped totally bare--even the wires are clipped flush with the wall. They are middle-aged, middle-class, childless, and totally fail to connect with each other. Life has obviously been quite empty for both of them as they have their little routines (hers seem to revolve around pleasing him), but no friends or family. Once the shock of the bizarre burglary wears off, they must attempt reinvent their home from scratch. Fortunately this does not become a new agey lesson on how our possessions actually possess us, but rather a fable about starting over. Mr. Ransome looks to recreate his previous existence (albeit with higher-end stereo equipment), while Mrs. Ransome is forced to frequent daring new shops (a Pakistani grocer's, a thrift shop!). As she takes these small steps into the broader world, she is reawakened to life's possibilities. The bizarre mystery of the theft is finally revealed, and things end happily, if rather predictably. A neat little tale that takes about an hour to read
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