When three students move into the flat above Stephen and Caroline Day, their happy existence in their comfortable flat in Edinburgh turns into a nightmare. Despite friendly overtures and eventually recourse to the police, nothing works, they continue to be tormented by loud music, bangs and crashes from the flat above, that gradually destroys their life. Deprived of sleep, and for Caroline unable to work, as she had been working from home, Stephen becomes obsessed with ways of ridding him self of his tormentors.
For me, who lives in detached house in the country with open fields to the rear and quiet neighbours on both sides ,this was an eye-opener, to say the least. It had never occurred to me how noise could virtually destroy ones life. As I became immersed in the book, I felt Caroline's and Stephen's desperation. And it is frightening. Particularly the pressures put on Caroline and Stephen relationship, which begins to deteriorate both sexually, and in their ability to verbally communicate.
Individually, both Caroline and Stephen
attempt to deal with the situation, but there is no quick solution and Stephen's
desperation grows, and eventually he takes steps to release himself and Caroline
from what he sees as an intolerable situation. But is his solution more frightening
than the persecution he and Caroline are suffering, and will his actions eliminate
the problem or exacerbate it?.
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Lizzie Hayes
November 2000
To lean more about Carol Ann, viist her web site at
http://wwwtellitlikeitis.demon.co.uk