Bank Holiday & Friday To Monday by Faith Baldwin

These novellas feature a tableau of society attempting to survive the Depression. As the most popular female writer of the 1930s, I find Baldwin's themes as good as those of her contemporaries Nathanael West and Horace McCoy.

BANK HOLIDAY

As F.D.R. inaugurates the New Deal in 1933, people are stunned to find the banks have closed their doors; they are left with what they have in their pockets..

Pete Field is a partner with Bill Manning, with offices in New York's Empire State Building. Pete's secretary still lives with her parents, yet won't marry her beau; she's not in love with him. Bill's wife, Rita, is used to swimming in cash; in fact, she would like another fur, it's only 1500. With no banks, that is off. Rita is oblivious to the financial crisis, although should know better, having run through her trust with poor planning. As the closures run into the week, stores offer credit and police patrol the banks. This is a citywide tableau of falling fortunes. Workers are used to being frugal, despite babies coming and hospital bills; the rich begin to hoard their gold. A chorine used to living on a thousand a month now resides on a speakeasy stool awaiting her next drink. Some cannot handle the future and take the gas. Perhaps Pete's Japanese houseboy has the right idea, stashing his cash in the mattress.

What would we do today if the banking systems went down?

FRIDAY TO MONDAY

Money is tight for everyone in 1933. Kim Sherwood grew up a rich man's son, and now that money is gone, he subsists by hiring himself out as an 'extra man' to parties. He still has the looks and charm to be of value. Claire is a divorcée doing much the same, maintaining a place in society while living on just 500 a month alimony. She is in love with penniless Kim, but her alimony stops if she were to marry. They are invited with friends to the Long Island estate of George Washburne. Despite being married, George entices Claire to be his mistress, all expenses paid, which she considers. It's not much different than the way she sells herself now. The other guests are Ethel, who frivolously redecorates her apartment although she is broke; let the creditors sue. David is in love with Washburne's daughter Midge. Midge wants to marry Kim, who does not love her, but financially he would benefit. This is an interesting look at what people will do to survive. Claire and Kim are selling themselves to retain a semblance of fitting in, and everyone loves someone outside their tax bracket. All is about to change, however, as Washburne's lawyer arrives to announce Washburne has lost everything. Will he run, or face the music?

Faith Baldwin can be seen as a romance author, but these are realistic portraits of the Depression, written as it happened. A fascinating look at society at the time, reminding us of today's 1% and 99% , and how fortunes could easily topple again. At approximately 100 pages each, these were originally printed in magazines, now can be found collected with her other works.

1933 / Hardcover