Author:Amos Oz
Eight interlinked family dramas set on an Israeli kibbutz from the masterful storyteller behind A Tale of Love and Darkness
‘On the kibbutz it’s hard to know. We’re all supposed to be friends but very few really are’
Ariella, unhappy in love, confides in the woman whose husband she stole.
Nahum, a devoted father, can’t find the words to challenge his daughter’s promiscuous lover.
The old idealists deplore the apathy of the young, while the young are so used to kibbutz life that they can’t work out if they’re impassioned or indifferent.
In this short story collection Amos Oz reveals the secrets and frustrations of the human heart
‘Lucid and heartbreaking’ Guardian
Lucid and heartbreaking… Explores the always uncertain relationships between men and women, parents and children, friends and enemies, in a clear, clipped language perfectly suited to the laconic tone of the narrative and impeccably rendered into English by Sondra Silverston
—— Alberto Manguel , GuardianBetween Friends is arguably something new, a collection of stories, but so interlinked by theme, setting and its rolling cast that it boasts the sense, scope and unity of a novel… The writing, tight and delicate, is technically breathtaking
—— Billy O'Callaghan , Irish ExaminerOz is brilliant at compact images in which a small action expresses a complexity of unarticulated emotion
—— Rebecca Abrams , Financial TimesThere’s a beautiful economy and simplicity to Oz’s storytelling
—— The TimesOz lifts the veil on kibbutz existence without palaver. His pin-point descriptions of individuals and spaces…are pared to perfection in order to resonate. His people twitch with life
—— Tom Adair , ScotsmanOz is a quiet, plain, compelling writer
—— Alan Taylor , HeraldDeeply affecting chamber piece…
—— Ben Lawrence , Daily TelegraphEngaging collection… Beautiful, spare prose
—— Lucy Popescu , Independent on SundayPresents us...with a complex and melancholic vision of people stuggling to transcend their individuality for the sake of mundanely idealistic goals
—— Michael Sayeau , Times Literary SupplementAll Israeli life is here, rendered in loving detail
—— Mail on SundayThis poignant, often heartbreaking, collection evocatively captures life in a kibbutz
—— Good Book GuideNeatly constructed, lucidly written and full of admirable sentiments.
—— Sunday Times on ConsequencesMasterful. Transforms the every day into something rich.
—— Time Out on Consequences[With] flashes of transcendence ... Ferris's specialist area is modern American crassness
—— Sunday TimesFerris' characters may be flawed, but his writing is flawless
—— TatlerEach of these stories is a well-crafted, tightly wound piece of short fiction that often springs with a delightful, sometimes moving precision
—— Times Literary SupplementFerris wittily skewers both middle-class social life, and its would-be dissenters. He has a brilliantly sharp eye for the manners and mores of 21st-century metropolitan society, and is a master of discomfort. . . Like F Scott Fitzgerald before him, Joshua Ferris shines an unforgiving light on the jittery pursuit of happiness, and 'the growing anxiety of never arriving at what was always just out of reach'
—— Craig Brown , Mail on SundayAt turns arresting and hilarious. Ferris excavates relationships, interactions, missteps, and misunderstandings to form a collection of work you'll want to return to again and again
—— Southern LivingMost of the characters are comparatively sane, but no less deliciously ghastly
—— Lionel Shriver , Observer Books of the YearAnxiety, self-consciousness and humiliation are the default inner states of the characters in these 11 stories
—— New York Times Books of the YearA strange, fantastical squelch through watery East Anglia...one of the most impressive collections of short stories in recent years
—— Alex Preston , ObserverAn undeniably enjoyable dose of escapism
—— Irish IndependentMark Haddon has become a master of the short story…this new collection intrigues and horrifies by turn
—— Country & Town HouseGripping tale… Told with forensic precision.
—— Paddy Kehoe , RTE OnlineExuberant, lusty exercises in juxtaposition… Such contrasts not only power each piece but also act as a form of call and response across them… Terrifically compelling collection.
—— Alex Clark , GuardianImpressive but forbiddingly lightless collection. There’s no doubt about Haddon’s skill.
—— Tim Martin , New StatesmanHave you ever read a book that made you gasp out loud and nearly burst into tears? The title story…had that effect on me… Haddon is able to give human tragedy the due solemnity it deserves but without being po-faced. A wonderful collection.
—— Anne Sexton , Hot PressGuaranteed to keep me riveted.
—— Karen Byrom , My WeeklyGripping… Packs the action and themes that might power a very full novel into less than 70 pages
—— John Williams , New York TimesScintillating first foray into the shorter form… Beautifully crafted… A challenging and idiosyncratic talent, with a memorable way with words.
—— Max Davidson , Mail on Sunday[Haddon] portrays the nightmares of our own society…with astonishing deftness, mixing black humour and pathos.
—— David Platzer , TabletThe Pier Falls had me gasping in disbelief.
—— Chris Catchpole , Q[It was] grim and compelling… [A] ripping, gripping yarn – narrative velcro.
—— Craige Raine , Spectator, Book of the YearI savoured all the atmospheric short stories in The Pier Falls.
—— Elizabeth Reapy , Irish Times, Book of the YearAn enthralling short story collection; dark, immersive stories with lots of action. The writing is tight and inspiring.
—— E. Reapy , Irish Independent, Book of the Year[A] searing collection of short stories that thrill and chill in equal measure.
—— Claire Allfree , Metro, Book of the YearI was also captivated by the dark A Pier Falls, a brilliantly written collection of bleak and brutal short stories.
—— Mernie Gilmore , Daily Express, Book of the YearI adored The Pier Falls… Each story is wildly entertaining and well written.
—— Dave Rudden , Headstuff, Book of the Year[It] proves the capacity of a short story to immerse the reader fully in a fictional world.
—— Anita Sethi , Guardian, Book of the YearThis short-story collection is thrilling and exquisitely written. I gave out several copies as Christmas presents.
—— Claire Fuller , Sunday TelegraphAn exquisite writer.
—— Fiona Wilson , The TimesMesmerisingly good stories, hugely varied, skilfully written, full of deft touches and narrative shocks... an absolute treat
—— Marcus Berkman , Spectator, *Books of the Year*