Author:Rachel Seiffert
A PhD student interviews her friend's grandfather for her thesis. While not quite meeting her eyes, he recounts his wartime history, lingering on an excursion that has never been far from his mind.
Part of the Storycuts series, this short story was previously published in the collection Field Study.
Few writers give me such consistent pleasure
—— Zadie SmithShe has such great psychological insights into human beings, which is rare. She is one of the best fiction writers writing today
—— Chimamanda Ngozie AdichieThe stories collected in Married Love tend to announced themselves with a crash ... before resolving into quieter reflections, like musical overtures in which strings follow brass. Whether it is in examining the mellowing of a marriage in the title piece, or recounting the progress of a one night stand ("In the Cave"), Hadley writes of ordinary lives with a gracefulness unequalled among her peers
—— Independent on SundayOccasionally – very occasionally – a book feels like a gift, something unexpected, exhilarating, life-enhancing. Tessa Hadley’s second collection of short stories is such a book
—— The TimesOne of the most subtle and sublime contemporary writers
—— VogueThe most perceptive chronicler since George Eliot of avid, unworldly young women
—— GuardianHadley is a writer of exceptional intelligence and skill Only Alice Munro and Colm Toibin, among all the working short story writers I’m aware of, are so adept at portraying whole lives in a few thousand words. With Married Love, Hadley joins their company as one of the most clear-sighted chroniclers of contemporary emotional journeys
—— ObserverTessa Hadley writes like a dream, the prose precise, but funny, too
—— Daily MailThese stories are shored up with sentences and paragraphs that demand immediate re-reading for their cleverness and warmth…This party is well worth attending
—— IndependentThis collection shows a writer quietly growing in style, perception and grace. She conveys to the reader that rare ability to see completely into someone else’s head
—— SpectatorAccomplished ... confident
—— Sunday TimesThe ghost of Katherine Mansfield hovers lightly over these deceptively delicate snapshots which zero in on the much maligned territory of the domestic and make it new and vital again
—— Metro