Description

A middle-aged novelist devoid of inspiration alights on material in the form of an obsessive pet-shop worker from Cincinnati. A pregnant mother of two finds herself increasingly in thrall to her help, Nat. For Joad, the discovery of a haunting type-written 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.

Each of the seven stories in Total is a full world, painted with vivid strokes. 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.

Deftly navigating the fault lines of relationships – new, established or remembered – Total is a powerful collection of brilliantly imaginative stories, and eloquent proof of Rebecca Miller’s writing prowess.

Publisher Review

Miller's new collection shows her in many moods and modes, from wistful to comedic to speculative. What a pleasure! -- JEFFREY EUGENIDES 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 * * 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 * * 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 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 A talented and highly visual writer * * New York Times * * Miller's writing is vigorous, powerful, riveting -- SADIE JONES