31 JANUARY 1931, Page 27

NIGHT IN THE HOTEL. By Eliot Crawshay-Williams. (Gollancz. 7s. 6d.)—Mr.

Crawshay-Williams has thought of an excellent idea. In his prologue he gives an objective sketch of the characters at luncheon in an inexpensive Riviera hotel. He then takes the reader into the confidence of each of these characters, as he or she is retiring to bed. The contrast between the objective and subjective accounts of these people is not sufficiently marked. Mr. Crawshay- Williams' knowledge of psychology is superficial. If this theme had been treated with greater insight and a more sensitive touch, Night in the Hotel might have been a very good novel. As it is, it is not much better than a collection of light magazine stories.