The Man Who Stayed at Home

A Retirement Story

THE MAN WHO STAYED AT HOME is the entertaining, informative account of one Yorkshireman’s transition from a middlingly motivated worker to a satisfyingly occupied retiree. When Brian Durkin’s long-established plan to retire to the sunny Algarve falls through, he hopes that by developing his existing leisure pursuits he’ll be able to fill his days in a satisfying way. On being grounded only moments after leaving work for the last time, however, a sense of impotence sets in, and he realises that he’ll have to expand his horizons if he doesn’t wish to succumb to loneliness.
Among others, he consults his no-nonsense friend Dave, who soon administers the first of a series of motivational boots up the backside which begin to bring Brian out of his shell. Walking, photography and even writing, he soon finds, are better enjoyed in the company of others, and this mature but somewhat ingenuous man is delighted to discover that one seemingly humdrum event has a habit of leading to a more auspicious one, if only he makes the effort to take that first step.
Brian’s first book will be best appreciated by people on the cusp of retirement, or by those who have already clocked out for the last time and are unsure of how to make the most of their autumn years.