holiday: a period in which a break is taken from work or studies for rest, travel of recreation. [literally: holy day]

Many years ago Mr Golightly wrote a work of dramatic fiction which grew to be an astonishing international best-seller. But his reputation is on the decline and he finds himself badly out of touch with the modern world.

He decides to take a holiday and comes to the historic village of Great Calne, hoping to use the opportunity to bring his great work up to date. But he soon finds that events take over his plans and that the themes he has written on are being strangely replicated in the lives of the villagers he is staying among.

As he comes to know his neighbours better, Mr Golightly begins to examine his attitude to love and to ponder the terrible catastrophe of his son's death. And as the drama unfolds we begin to learn the true, and extraordinary, identity of Mr Golightly and the nature of the secret sorrow which haunts him and links him to his new friends. Mysterious, light of touch, witty and profound Mr Golightly's Holiday confirms Salley Vicker's reputation as one of our most original and engaging novelists.