Summary THE HOUES by THE SEA
John bumps into an old university friend, Carl, in
a London pub. John is struck by how much Carl
has changed. Carl has a story to tell about his failed
marriage to Linda.
Carl tells John the story of what started out as a happy
marriage. Gradually, however, Carl becomes more
absorbed in his work. He and Linda buy a second
home, a house by the sea in East Anglia, and Linda
spends many weekends working on the house. Carl
puts more effort into his work than his marriage and
the house, but finally realises he needs to act in order
to rescue his relationship. One weekend he arranges to
wait for Linda, who is travelling later by train, in the
pub near the house by the sea.
On arrival at the house, Carl notices details which
indicate someone has been in the house very recently.
He then goes to the pub to await Linda’s phone call
but she fails to contact him. He rushes back to the
house, haunted by the image of a local man called
Mad Tom who has been in the pub and is mentally
disturbed. Linda is not at the house. Carl drives
to Woodbridge to meet the last train, but she’s not
there either. Distraught, he seeks help from the pub
landlady, Mary, who takes pity on him.
Having spent the night at the pub, the next morning
Carl strolls on the beach, where he finds a pair of
woman’s shoes. They are the kind Linda wears. At
the pub, Mary tells Carl that his wife has been seen in
Woodbridge. Carl begins to worry that something has
happened to Linda
The local policeman calls on Carl at the house, and
tries to reassure him that Mad Tom is harmless. Carl
then notices an awful smell and is horrified to find
a large fish in his bed. The police are called in, and
discover the culprit was in fact Mad Tom. There is still
no sign of Linda, but then Carl receives a letter from
her, saying that their marriage is finished.
Despite the letter, Carl becomes obsessed with the idea
that Linda has been abducted by Mad Tom. He returns
to London, and is curious to find people have been
there while he has been away. PC Grant phones to tell
Carl that Mad Tom has been found dead, and that he
needs to question him.
On returning to the house by the sea, Carl meets
Linda. She explains that their marriage is finished,
and that she has started a new relationship with a local
man, Bill Parker, brother of Mad Tom.
Carl concludes his story, and asks John whether he has
done the right thing. After Carl has left, John notices
his bag, which contains Linda’s dress and shoes. John
thinks he might have left the bag deliberately, so he can
forget the past and move on