Review
A second set of short stories (12 years after the publication of the highly acclaimed The Safety of Objects) by a multi-award-winning American writer, certain to gain high critical praise. The eponymous (very) short story deals with a strange obsession, and other tales feature a woman pursuing an unconventional strategy for getting pregnant; a former First Lady showing despair and courage in dealing with her husband's Alzheimer's; and an adult tragedy intruding into a childhood friendship. In an impressive mix of humour, sadness and suspense, Homes displays her exceptional ability to create absorbing stories full of depth and richness that also contain strong psychological and/or sexual undercurrents. With a comic timing so effective, her distinctive narratives demonstrate just how extraordinary the ordinary can be.
This is a stunning collection of short stories by A M Homes, at the same time ruthless in pillorying those who are cruel and compassionate in understanding where that cruelty comes from. Her scenes from family life show people wanting to connect with one another and failing so badly that they wish they could run away or fade and disappear. A husband longs to die because life is unbearable. His long-suffering wife copes sensibly and calmly with his endless talk of dying. A neat twist to the story solves both his problem and his wife's but the stories do not all have a happy ending. As in life they are more untidy, leaving couples in the same impasse that they have been trying to escape from for all their lives. Homes's characters are vulnerable, presenting to the world the face they know the world wants to see but keeping their inadequacy hidden. Other characters, like most of us, are happy sometimes and she is a expert at portraying the pleasure in being alive. The prose is so good that one wants to learn bits to quote to friends. There are sharp, original images and dialogue that is devastatingly accurate, laconic or careful depending on the character's age and background. There is only one drawback - there are too few stories. (Kirkus UK)
Times
'[An] accomplished collection'
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