Author:Amos Oz,Nicholas de Lange
A teenage son shoots himself under his parents' bed. They sleep that night unaware he is lying dead beneath them.
A stranger turns up at a man's door to persude him that they must get rid of his ageing mother in order to sell the house.
An old man grumbles to his daughter about the unexplained digging and banging he hears under the house at night.
As each story unfolds, Amos Oz, builds a portrait of a village in Israel. It is a surreal and unsettling place. Each villager is searching for something, and behind each episode is another, hidden story. In this powerful, hynotic work Amos Oz peers into the darkness of our lives and gives us a glimpse of what goes on beneath the surface of everyday existence.
By the winner of the 2013 Franz Kafka Prize, previous winners of which include Philip Roth, Ivan Klima, Elfriede Jelinek, Harold Pinter and John Banville.
This is a dark book, with a dark vision of contemporary Israel… The whole, rich, disturbing mixture makes one feel as if something dark is digging away at the foundations, something unnameable ready to emerge. It is one of the most powerful books you will read about present-day Israel.
—— David Herman , Jewish ChronicleThese stories have both force and mystery, and they cast a quiet spell
—— Scotland on SundayA powerfully bleak portrait of loneliness, confusion and cracked bonds
—— The TimesThese stories, in their humanity, may do more for Israel than any of the decisions we have been led to expect of its leaders in the months to come
—— New StatesmanI enjoyed Amos Oz's Scenes From Village Life a great deal... it explores what is universal, what is entirely idiosyncratic, about daily life in Israel away from the obvious conflicts
—— Kate Kellaway , ObserverOz's characters might be drawn from Chekhov: their lives seem an irresoluble muddle of sorrow, baffled hopes and missed chances; his compassion for them makes the reader care deeply about them, too. This is a wise, beautiful and enduring book
—— Richard Davenport-Hines , SpectatorPotent and uncanny
—— Tom Sutcliffe , IndependentThe stories resemble an echo chamber of recurring themes, steeped in a strangeness and danger that lingers on like a dream'
—— MetroAdmirably rendered in English by Oz's longtime translator, Nicholas de Lange, these linked stories prove achingly melancholy... It is like a symphony... There is, in each story, a particular chord or strain; but taken together, these chords rise and reverberate, evoking an unease so strong it's almost a taste in the mouth... Scenes From Village Life is a brief collection, but its brevity is a testament to its force. You will not soon forget it
—— Claire Messud , New York TimesImpressive and very affecting
—— Karl Miller , Times Literary SupplementOz beautifully captures the interplay of tensions in each character.
—— Helen Brown , Daily TelegraphEvery word the author of The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry writes is a bittersweet dream. Christmas music, drunken Santas and unrealistic expectations are all on the menu in these linked stories that stretch from the last day of school term all the way through to New Year’s Eve. There’s even a donkey and a baby…
—— Cathy Rentzenbrink , StylistJoyce is warm and very funny, and she has a merciless eye for those nightmare moments when weaknesses are exposed and everything is called into question
—— The TimesA collection of domestic, family tales, looping themselves warmly around Christmas rituals ... Heart-warming
—— Daily MailFerris' 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*