Description

‘One of my favourite writers’ Nick Hornby

One of the most acclaimed writers of our day, award-winning author Elizabeth McCracken is an undisputed virtuoso of the short story, and this new collection features her most vibrant and heartrending work to date.

A recent widower and his adult son ferry to a craggy Scottish island in search of puffins. An actress who plays a children’s game-show villainess ushers in the New Year with her deadbeat half-brother. And on a trip to a water park with their son, two fathers each confront a deep-rooted personal fear. With sentences that crackle and spark and showcase her trademark wit, McCracken shows how the mysterious bonds of family are tested, transformed, fractured, and fortified.

‘McCracken has a gift for spotting the comic potential in situations many of us have endured… Her prose is stippled with just-so observations’ Observer

‘McCracken is a totally assured performer: even seemingly throwaway perceptions are often memorably poetic, and there is a hint of melancholy under the comedy’ Sunday Times

‘This incisive, warm-blooded collection of stories is populated by outsiders… McCracken illuminates qualities of human nature through fragments of her characters’ lives’ New Yorker

Publisher Review

McCracken has a real talent for exploring what makes an individual unusual when they are entwined with another person, and her stories are sparkling gems of human eccentricity. * Independent * [McCracken] has a gift for spotting the comic potential in situations many of us have endured... Her prose is stippled with just-so observations. * The Observer * [A] sly, emotionally complex collection . . . Each story opens to reveal a whole life spent within the web of a family, chosen or not. Full of gems, this collection is a winner. * Publishers Weekly (starred review) * McCracken is a totally assured performer: even seemingly throwaway perceptions are often memorably poetic, and there is a hint of melancholy under the comedy. * Sunday Times * It's pitch perfect; funny, melancholy and alight with the kind of sharp observations that reveal the fault lines in relationships and family dynamics... McCracken cracks open the hearts of her captivating characters. * Daily Mail *