Harrison, Martyn. Losing Ground (Braintree, UK: Writing Life, 2003) 198 p.

Owen is a pathetic loser who despises everyone around him except for the young woman he is stalking. He narrates the story allowing us to witness his degradation exquisitely through his own eyes.

Vivienne, the object of his desire works in a certain sandwich shop. Owen works in the music department at a nearby public library. He has what he calls a coworker but I suspect she is his supervisor, named Maude Bramble, who

reminded me of a primary school teacher, all bosom and smiles. She was a paragon of public service, a one-woman archetype of work ethics, motivation and dedication. Her desire to serve the public was as strong as her desire to serve God. I guessed that the loose skin on her face had the sag of at least fifty years' anxiety, of painful, troubled binges of heavy sleep. Her absurdly large glasses (like goggles) were attached to a cord to prevent misplacement; her hair was short and symmetrically grizzled. Her overtly cheerful disposition was an irritant. She was visibly beaming with the prospect of guiding a young, eager recruit like me. (p. 30).

Owen's only motivation for working in the library is the chance for quiet reflection and to be near Vivienne.