A Day in the Life of Mr Charlie Cheddar
by Lawrence G. TaylorPublish: Jun 11, 2021Literary Fiction Book Overview
A tragicomedy: Charlie Cheddar suffers from sensual deprivation. He practised celibacy and yoga for three years to liberate himself from thought-provoking fantasies and desires.
Charlie espoused a hermit’s way of life after being pissed off with relentless teasing from friends and foesabout his failure to find a girlfriend. He is zealous in his admiration of book knowledge and has never failed to flaunt that knowledge to his friends. The reciprocal antipathy between him and them persists.
Charlie suffers from anxiety attacks and dark moods but manages his suicidal fantasies by reading poetry and yoga. Both seem to nourish his soul. Sometimes he is proud of being a misanthropist. Charlie retreats to his imaginary bubble after nine to five clerical tasks at Her Majesty Post Office.
But the feeling of loneliness that appears out of the blue has a grip on Charlie, tortures the hell out of him like a thorn and takes its toll.
On a Sunday at Speaker’s Corner in Hyde Park, a lanky Caribbean stranger approaches dark, short and skinny Charlie. Julian, the stranger, becomes his friend and hopes to rescue Charlie from the jaws of bitterness and despair by introducing him to a lady of high self-esteem, literary inclination and a lover of poetry. Helen, the lady, once dated Julian, but they were never lovers because he philandered. Julian promises to arrange a date with high hopes for Charlie. Charlie is excited but harbours fears about his foreseeable transformation.