Description

A pregnant mother of two finds herself increasingly in thrall to her help, Nat. For Joad, the discovery of a haunting typewritten document in an old desk in need of restoration is overwhelming. And when Roxanne rescues her sister from an institution, she comes to realise how vulnerable they both are.

Deftly navigating the fault lines of relationships – new, established or remembered – Total is a powerful collection of brilliantly imaginative stories. From the comforting mundanities of motherhood to a technologically infected near future that mirrors our present with dark prescience, each life captured in this collection is unforgettable.

Publisher Review

Wit and coolly slaying wisdom are constant delights in these emotionally complex stories . . . cinematically vivid * * Observer * * Miller knows and is playing with . . . all the ways stories and lives infinitely repeat. You've never quite seen them inhabited by these versions of these characters, nor at the tenor of these sentences, with these deftly deployed layers of surprise * * New York Times * * Miller's new collection shows her in many moods and modes, from wistful to comedic to speculative. What a pleasure! -- JEFFREY EUGENIDES A "cinematic prose style" is often a critical cliche, but in the case of Rebecca Miller, no other descriptor suffices . . . [a] captivating, coolly spare new collection * * Oprah Daily * * The characters in Total are instantly recognisable - they are privileged, deluged by memories and in situations fraught with anxiety, but Miller manages to offer a fresh perspective on old conundrums * * Daily Mail * * In Miller's alluring collection, protagonists search for connection and pleasure in strange, sometimes destructive ways . . . Miller brings a cinematic eye to her descriptions (a parking garage's "final floor" offers a "vivid sky") and plenty of drama to the situations. These stories are full of surprises * * Publishers Weekly * * The seven brilliantly knotty and piercingly intimate stories in Total depict characters undone, temporarily or irreparably, by obsessive love * * Lit Hub * * Slim but powerful . . . [Miller] adeptly encapsulates these women's experiences . . . Recommended for fans of Joyce Carol Oates and Kazuo Ishiguro's Never Let Me Go * * Booklist (starred review) * * Praise for Rebecca Miller: Miller is a luminous writer -- OLIVIA LAING Miller is an excellent novelist -- KATE ATKINSON