The radio hour by Victoria Purman

In the 1950’s, radio serials like ‘Blue Hills’ saw people regularly gathering around the radio cabinet in their home to hear the latest segment in the lives of their favourite characters. Purman’s story centres on Martha Berry, one of the steadfast but underappreciated female employees who works behind the scenes to ensure that all runs smoothly in the radio studio. Men run the show, and women are only employed in subordinate positions regardless of the many years experience they may have garnered. The dilemma for long suffering Martha becomes how to ensure the success of the new serial ‘As the sun sets’ in spite of the obvious incompetence of the newly appointed young producer. Dare she insert her own scripts and storylines?

Purman’s writing style is characterised predominantly by conversations, between Martha and her mother Violet and the elderly ladies in her street, and between Martha and her colleagues at work, so that the novel becomes much like a radio play itself. The scripts that Martha writes are almost a radio play within a play. It makes for a novel that flows very easily and engages the reader to find out what each chapter will bring.

Although the novel is clearly set in the past with authentic details of food, clothing, and expectations of women’s behaviour, there are themes that have parallels today: fears of new technology replacing old, the glass ceiling barrier for women, misogyny, and sexual harassment. So, while we may congratulate ourselves on our progress, Purman reminds us of the problems that are still unresolved today; all delivered with a light comedic touch that is very easy to read.

Themes: Historical fiction, Radio, Radio plays, Women, Post-war, Sexual harassment.

Helen Eddy