On Chesil Beach

In July 1962, Edward Mayhew, a graduate student of history, and Florence Ponting, a violinist of a string quartet, have just been married and are spending their honeymoon in a small hotel on the Dorset seashore, at Chesil Beach. The two are very much in love despite being from drastically different backgrounds.

During the course of an evening, both reflect upon their upbringing and the prospect of their futures. Edward is sexually motivated and though intelligent has a taste for rash behaviour, while Florence, bound by the social code of another era and perhaps having been sexually abused by her father,[1] is terrified of sexual intimacy. Florence tries to mentally prepare herself for the inevitable consummation, but the thought of it continues to repulse her.

When the couple are finally about to have sex, Florence inadvertently overstimulates Edward, causing him to ejaculate on her stomach before intercourse can begin. Revolted, Florence storms out. When Edward follows, the couple get into an argument where Florence makes it clear that she is not interested in ever having sex. Edward accuses her of lying to him during their marriage vows (in which there is a vow of sexual fulfilment), and is further angered when Florence suggests he sleep with other women to relieve his sexual desires. In turn, Florence accuses him of being insensitive and aggressive. The couple separate, and the lack of consummation annuls the marriage.

Edward summarises the following decades of his life. A year after the annulment, he ruminates on Florence’s proposal and no longer finds it insulting, though he still refuses to reunite with Florence. He eventually loses interest in writing history books and manages multiple stores. After his mother’s death, he moves back home to take care of his ailing father. He enjoys good relationships with his friends and family, and explores other romances including a brief marriage with another woman, though he admits that he never loved anyone as much as he loved Florence. Meanwhile, Florence enjoys critical and commercial success with her string quartet, though Edward does not attend any performance and avoids even reminders of it, unaware that Florence thinks of him after every performance. Edward chooses not to revisit her, choosing to keep his youthful memory of her.

In his sixties, Edward thinks back to Florence again and of the night they separated, wondering what would have happened if they had not separated. He concludes that he and Florence would have enjoyed a loving and happy marriage, that Florence would have been beneficial to his career success, and that with love and patience he might have got her to open up and enjoy sex. He muses that one’s life can be changed by simply doing nothing: Florence had loved him deeply as they left each other, and wanted nothing more than for him to call out for her, at which she would have turned back to reconcile. The novel ends with Edward remembering the sight of Florence walking away before disappearing from his sight.

Classification: 15