There is not so much sadness in this story. And, dessert is served. But there is nothing sugary about the relationship between Helena and the police commissioner. Even though they have been "friends forever". "On a silver dish, and on still another pink cloth, this one embroidered, are wedges
In “Madeline’s Birthday”, the sadness slips to the background, like it does in an Elizabeth Taylor story, with a hint of darkness besides. Madeline is a guest in the Tracy family’s summer home, and her seventeenth birthday affects every resident. Readers briefly inhabit the perspective of most inhabitants (even
What aspect of any single day makes for a good story? A rainy day or otherwise? "Foreign papers exaggerate; Stefan’s mother sent him such anxious letters from Berlin! He would write tonight and tell her not to worry. Nothing was as serious as it seemed from the outside. Moreover, his
Recalling the distanced and pseudo-analytical view of a man's life in the very short story "Siegfried's Memoirs", readers can contrast that with "Willi", an emotionally driven and heartful short piece. "Willi was a prisoner of war in France until the end of 1948. He dreamed of home, but when he got
The thing with an explosion is that it comes out of nowhere. And that's exactly what happens in Alison Watt's debut novel. Even though I knew that the 1917 event was at the heart of this Halifax story, I was completely absorbed in Clare and Fred's ordinary workday at
