Best of the Spectator Spectator Out Loud: Slipshod – by Sarah Perry
8 snips
Dec 26, 2025 
In this engaging session, Sarah Perry, an acclaimed author known for her thought-provoking fiction, reads her haunting short story 'Slipshod.' The narrative revolves around two academic colleagues whose seemingly strong friendship erodes under the strain of envy and unexplained events. Listeners dive into themes of rivalry and hidden histories, as Marnie's increasing resentment is underscored by eerie occurrences, including mysterious red-toed shoes. This chilling tale reflects on the profound impact of past grievances on present relationships.
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Narrator Admits Constructed Truth
- Sarah Perry frames the narrator as an investigator who mixes fact with imagination to reconstruct events.
- The narrator admits bias and impending retirement, which colors the account and casts doubt on absolute objectivity.
Contrasting Colleagues And Their Bond
- Sarah Perry describes Dr Susan Addison as charismatic, practical, and attractively feminine in contrast to Marnie.
- The friendship balances Addison's volubility and Marnie's dreamy theorising, showing genuine mutual complementarity.
Friendship That Hides Envy
- Perry recounts how Addison and Marnie walked together and seemed free of rivalry for years.
- Their harmony masks an undercurrent of private envy and capacity for spite.