Setting
The short story “The Other Couple” by Sandra Marslund takes place in Penryn, Cornwall, in South West England, where the couple are on vacation.
The holiday landmarks, such as the beach, the sea, and the pub, are seen through the narrator’s eyes as depressing, instead of joyful. For instance, the sea is seen as “a slab of wet steel in the early morning light and for a moment I lose myself in its greyness” (ll. 11-12). This suggests the narrator’s grief influences the way she sees her surroundings. Her partner tries to cheer her up by taking her to see the seals (l. 21) or dragging her to the pub because it will “do you good” (l. 31), however, this has the opposite effect on the narrator. The hike leaves her with sore and swollen feet (l. 30), and ...