First published in 1936, May Day is an inventive, fluent, experimental and, above all, very readable novel. Set over a three-day period in mid-1930s London, it follows the fortunes of a diverse range of characters as militant anger bubbles over in the East End and spills into the City and West End on May Day. Idealism, manipulation and police violence all play a part in this gripping tale, reflecting the turbulent culture of a period of heightened social awareness.