Daddy

I previously read and really liked Emma Cline's debut 'The Girls' so I was excited to be given the opportunity to read her first collection of short stories.

‘Daddy’ continues to prove that Cline is a great storyteller. The characters of these stories are, like in ‘The Girls’, rooted in the American landscape and they are forced to navigate both complicated and complex relationships. While reading these stories, I really appreciated how Cline never tries to be profound, to disturb or to shock. Instead, she writes with subtlety and elegance about the very uncomfortable and even horrific situations that her characters experience.

Throughout this collection, Cline conveys this sense of how precarious the lives of her characters are, how they are always teetering on the brinkj of destruction and how everything can change in an instant. If there is an overarching message in this collection, it is that fragility and vulnerability are fundamental aspects of who we are as humans and that somehow we are always only seconds away from becoming subjected to (and perhaps inflicting) emotional and physical violence. In ‘Daddy’, this creates a perpetual tension with the characters’ need to have and to sustain any personal relationships while always and forever being so incredibly close to falling apart.

With thanks to the publisher for the free review copy in exchange for my honest and unedited feedback.

I read Emma Cline’s first book and enjoyed it. But I absolutely loved this. I generally love short story compilations anyway but this was particularly skilled. And I can re-read short stories over and over so it’s one to enjoy more than once. 5/5.

As exacting and unnerving as you'd expect from Emma Cline, this is a collection of stories that bristles with intelligence and wit. Cline is unwaveringly focused on her (often deeply flawed) characters in what feels to me like a deeply of-the-moment collection, capturing the strange loneliness that's intertwined with our constantly-connected world. Sharp, unforgiving, and brilliant.

These short stories from Emma Cline are absolutely brilliant. Each one follows a similar structure, carefully presenting characters and filling them out with precise details from their histories. The end of each story is like pulling the wrong block out of a Jenga tower - the narrative comes crashing down around the reader and there were a few occasions I felt genuinely cheated of a more complete ending. This is not to say that I didn't enjoy them, I really did, and as soon as I became used to the structure of the pieces, I became more comfortable with what to expect. I would recommend these stories to everyone who enjoys the genre.

I loved Emma Cline’s debut novel The Girls and so was keen to read her first short story collection, ‘Daddy’.
I know that publishers always claim that short story collections don’t sell but I’ve often discovered a new author through them.
There are nine dark stories in ‘Daddy’ and Cline isn’t afraid to explore the seamier side of relationships and the manipulative power struggles within them. These are not only between men and women but also between best freinds and parents and children as they clash.
In the first story, ‘What Can You Do with a General’, John and his wife Linda are looking forward to having their grown up family home for Christmas. But all is not well as seething rage ripples beneath the surface as they gather round to watch DVDS of home movies of past celebrations. Linda wants ‘the neutering of his anger’ and she and the adult children walk on eggshells around John.
In ‘Los Angeles’, Alice, a sales assistant in a trendy clothes shop is taking acting lessons and managing to avoid the grim reality of her life. Alice’s former friends are getting married and having children and post pictures of their babies ‘ curled like shrimp on fur rugs.’ When she needs money to continue the classes she decides on a very risky side hustle and her final encounter is more than she bargained for….
Several of Cline’s protagonists are waiting for their big break or their redemption. Ben, a washed-up writer in ‘Menlo Park’ is desperate to get back into the big time and hopes that editing a ghost written memoir will achieve this. But a misunderstanding and his desperation doesn’t help his case.
In Kayla’s story, ‘The Nanny’, she is holed up in her mother’s ex- college room mate’s house waiting for her notoriety to pass. But what has she got to return to? The parade has already passed for her.
Two older men, George and William, meet in an unfashionable restaurant before going to see the movie that George’s son, Benji, has produced. George knows too well that Benji has a habit of taking and abandoning jobs and interests and sees him as a loser. But who does Benji thank so warmly in his speech on the stage?
I found some of the protagonists such as Richard in ‘NorthEast Regional’ and Thora in ‘a/s/l/’ really unlikeable but that didn’t detract from Cline’s skill in portraying them and their world so well. Richard appears to have no idea of how much his domineering personality has influenced his son who has been expelled from college over a violent incident. He has open contempt for the married women that he sleeps with , ‘women whose lingerie was haunted by the prick of the plastic tag they’d tried to snap off so that he wouldn’t realise that it was new.’
The adult children in these stories seem to flounder as they try to find their way in the world and the ex-wives become bit players or voices on the phone to their husbands. Cline portrays so well the shifting sands of family ties. I also liked the author’s wry comments as in ‘Arcadia; where the junior college farm workers cars were identifiable by the bumper stickers ‘as if they needed even the vehicles to have opinions.’
A good collection of contemporary stories and I am looking forward to Cline’ s next novel.

A uniquely insightful collection of short stories. Cline has created vivid snapshots into the lives of ten fundamentally different and unrelated characters that she threads together with themes of masculinity, “daddy” issues, fractured relationships and violence to form this cohesive collection. There were some stories I connected with on a more personal level than others however, connection or no, I found I simply couldn’t put this book down. This is a thought-provoking read and, whether you like it or not, I have no doubt that everyone who reads this will find something to relate to.

I somehow missed the hype about Emma Cline’s The Girls a few years back so came to her collection of short stories with no preconceptions or expectations. I like short stories, although it often takes me weeks, months, alas, even years to get through a collection as it’s just so easy to put them down and pick up something else in between.

Not so with Daddy. Each story captivated me and stayed with me for long after. Emma Cline has a way of writing people that really gets under your skin. We meet deeply flawed characters, all trying to find their way in life or making up for past mistakes; there’s drug addicts, cheating partners, dysfunctional families, teens escaping the grim reality of life.

These stories aren’t uplifting and there are no happy endings. In fact, there are no “proper” endings and I often found myself wanting for the stories to keep going, to get some resolution, but again, that’s where her narratives emulate life. I did think that each story provided material for more, as if she could have made a novel out of each one of them, but I guess that’s the beauty of the short story and of her writing, leaving me wanting more.

A series of ten short stories by the author of The Girls.

- A father frets over his distracted daughter and reflects on life and family during a visit from his grown up children over the Christmas holiday.

- An aspiring actress who works in a store selling overpriced clothes sells her own worn underwear to men she doesn’t know.

- A man ruminates on his own troubles as he edits the biography of a billionaire who seems set on rewriting his own lifetime achievements.

- An ageing and fading movie man meets an old friend for dinner ahead of attending a showing of the first film produced by his son.

- A young woman hides from the paparazzi following a brief affair with an actor, for whom she’d been a nanny to his son.

- A young man who lives with his pregnant partner and her brother dreams of escaping to a new life.

- A middle-aged man travels to his son’s boarding school to attempt to resolve a problem whilst wrestling with issues in his own life.

- A woman remembers her first real friend and time spent with her free-living parents as an eleven-year-old.

- A man in his early fifties meets old friends for a meal and then broods over his past and present relationships women and his financial worries.

- Two women attending a ‘pre-rehab’ centre in the desert become obsessed with a male celebrity who checks in.

These stories show glimpses of people’s lives, with the focus typically on one participant in each tale. Typically, we witness a good deal of reflection: how did I get to this place, what might have gone differently? There is disillusionment here too as each seems to feel that things might have taken a different path, that it could have worked out better. Relationships with friends, family and lovers are dissected and examined, worries and frailties exposed.

Like all short story collections I’ve read, some engaged me more than others but I did find myself wondering if I’d made some of the same erroneous decisions, if I harboured a number of identical regrets or if I hid similar weaknesses to the protagonists here. Yes, it’s one of those books that makes you think about your own life, what I’ve done and what I haven’t done. Have I lived, as they say, ‘my best life’? I suppose that question is almost certain to be answered in the negative, perhaps the more so the older you get.

A few stories ended a little too abruptly for me, just as I was becoming invested in where it would go next - but that’s just how it works with short stories. And mostly I was happy to witness these segments of a bigger story and move on. These satisfying snacks can be gobbled up quickly and I really enjoyed the of settings, the diversity of characters and mixture of emotions the stories stirred in me. I wouldn’t call the stories uplifting but most captured my attention, made me pause and think.

I wouldn’t ordinarily opt to read a collection of short stories as I haven’t previously connected enough to the characters, I often have found the stories rushed too.

This is not the case with Daddy by Emma Cline. I found the structure of the story where we read from is very clever. Most of the collection start straight after a fall out of some sort, sometimes huge like a celebrity affair exposed or sometimes smaller like a discovery of a pregnancy. Very rarely are we given any back story so it allows the reader to imagine the circumstances and at the point it stops you want to read more.

The title ‘Daddy’ suggests an undertone of a father figure and the unbalanced, dishonest, depressed and sometimes dangerous male characters supports that.

Thank you to Net Galley for allowing me an opportunity to read an advanced copy, my main thanks because you have introduced me to an author whose style I loved, writes beautifully and I want to read more.

This collection of short stories shows different aspects of masculinity and mostly toxic masculinity. I really enjoyed the differences between the stories, which explored different types of men and their relationships to the women in their lives. I'd recommend this book.

I loved this story collection. Great themes, well structured, great pacing and I found every story interesting. A firm five star read.

Admittedly, I write this review as one of the few people who's not read Emma Cline's The Girls. Even so, I can comfortably say that Cline's prose are as dark, thought-provoking, and mysterious as the acclaim for The Girls implied.

Daddy explores a number of relationships and power dynamics through the lenses of various characters in various short stories. Some stories are more sinister than others, but the characters are all alarmingly real, flawed, and relatable (sometimes to a cringeworthy extent). Again, I've not read The Girls, but would recommend this to fans of Cline's past writing or those who enjoy the writing of Shirley Jackson and Chuck Palahniuk.

Emma Cline's short fiction collection, Daddy, gathers stories focused around masculinity and power dynamics. Much like in her debut novel, The Girls, the characters here are mostly lonely and not necessarily likeable. Cline doesn't overwrite the situations they're in, and reading them feels like being a fly on the wall; with the ability to see a situation unfolding, but powerless to change it. There are misunderstandings and microaggressions which seem easy to fix from the outside, but the characters are too caught up in them to see the easy out. Many of the stories don't feel finished at the end (which I love in a short story), and the lack of resolution adds to the sense of being an observer. There's a constant threat of something dark bubbling away underneath these stories, and Cline writes that darkness really really well - as she did in The Girls. Her writing is incredibly good at making it impossible to look away from things we might not want to see. If you liked The Girls, I think you'll love this collection. 
(Thanks for @netgalley and @vintagebooks for the ARC)

Daddy, from the writer of The Girls, Emma Cline, is a collection of short stories looking at the darker corners of society, considering the power dynamic and the relationships between men and women, parents and children.

Over the course of the book, we meet a film director disillusioned with fame, an absent father dealing with the fallout of a violent event at his son’s school, and the young survivor of an ambiguous sexual assault as Cline explores the frailty of human relationships and the consequences of the choices we make.

I often find that a collections of short stories can be a bit hit and miss. Some authors struggle to find the correct balance between plot and brevity. Not so for Cline, who hits her stride with the stories in this collection, every story in the book was just as captivating as the last.

Cline has a subtle and deft touch as a storyteller, showing a real understanding of the complexities of human behaviour through focusing on the intimacies and emotions of her characters. These short stories are never predictable, often occurring in the prelude or aftermath of a traumatic event, the narratives are all the more powerful for avoiding the obvious drama.

The end result is a ceaselessly fascinating book that was utterly unputdownable.

Having read Emma Cline's debut novel, The Girls, last year, I was thrilled to receive an ARC of her new short story collection. I am not always a fan of short story collections, and am trying to read more of them. This one did not disappoint.

The stories all detail the lives of a variety of complicated and flawed characters: a father unable to see the damage he has caused to his children, a young woman taking risks to obtain additional money, a woman vilified and in hiding after a scandal. So much of the specifics of these stories are left unsaid, waiting to be interpreted and yet as a reader you get to learn so much about this characters and the lives that they have lived. Not all of the characters are sympathetic, but that only makes them more realistic.

The collection is 9 stories in total, all dark, well thought-out and clearly written. The stories all feel thoroughly developed despite their length, and I feel this is a real skill from Emma Cline. My favourite stories in the collection are The Nanny and Marion, and this book has made me excited for any future work from this author.

Emma Cline delivers another brilliant, timely book. The stories in this collection navigate the intricacies and boundaries of relationships deftly, and investigate the more uneasy corners of human nature with subtlety and wit. Cline's prose is beautiful; she is an expert narrator with an instinct for unearthing and exposing, through her characters, uncomfortable truths.

I read this in a day, and am left (much like after finishing her debut) immediately eager to read more.

Beautiful short stories - as often with collections, some are better than others - about families, relationships, keeping secrets. I loved their apparent simplicity, the characters - all flawed and somehow relatable - and the way they dealth with different situations of loss, things not going the way we wanted, impossible situations. I would read more by the same author.

I’m not sure how to review this collection of stories, other than that I really enjoyed them.

There isn’t a clear theme running through them as much as I’ve found in other story collections. While many stories focus on family, as the title suggests, I wouldn’t say they all follow that theme.

There’s a lot of “unknowing” in this collection which is both intriguing and frustrating. Most often a story finishes before you’ve really understood what has happened, but I really loved this sense of unfinished business. Some of the stories I wish had been longer for this reason.

My favourites were the opening story, the story of the woman working in the clothing store in LA, the story of the woman who had an affair with a famous actor, the story of the man travelling to the boarding school to find out about an incident his son has been involved in and the final story of two women at a rehab centre.

I really enjoyed this collection and know I’ll be thinking about some of the stories for a long time after.

Wonderful. Loved her novel and this comes from very much a similar place. Brilliantly realized and believable characters.

Emma Cline’s collection of short stories capture the mundane and uncomfortable moments of human experience that are often left unwritten.

I powered through half of the stories as if they were chapters, wanting some way to connect the disparate characters. There is no linear narrative connection, other than that they all in some way are coming to terms with the failure of themselves, or the discomfort or hurt they have caused in others.

It was interesting to see how many of these stories centre on men. Even the stories that appear to discuss female experience see women acting as accessories to male desire. Cline depicts a world in which her characters must develop strategies against their weaknesses in order to survive, be it emotional, apologetic or financial. Cline’s subjects are submissive to the greater expectation held by society that they must continue the ruse of normality despite their various hurts.

This might sound vague, but truly that’s what these stories are. Vague fragments of many lives that have undoubtedly played out in some corner of the each American state.

Cline works with language and tone in a special way to create an uncanny, somewhat Gothic feel to this work. There were moments where I felt I was reading an updated version of Angela Carter’s ‘The Bloody Chamber’, which is a testament to my limited experience of provocative short stories, and the tension they can build in just a few pages.

Many readers, myself included, find it hard to totally immerse themselves in short stories, as they can sometimes feel directionless. Yet, something was different this time with Emma Cline. She touches on some part of our emotional psyche that resonates, regardless of whether or not we have had the same experiences as her characters. It’s an emptiness, bodies and minds bereft of their former glory, as they try to navigate their current path. It’s disappointing and unexpected, and people make mistakes.

I’ve read a few disappointed reviews of this work, but I encourage the reader to put aside their preconditioned ideas of what the reading experience should be. Instead, embrace this disappointment, as I believe that is exactly what Cline has planned for us. Showmanship is undoubtedly present in the skill with which Cline writes, as to begin a story in medias res (in the middle of things) suggests a faith in both character and reader that immediately creates tension. But to be able to transfer the same bemusement and frustration from the situations of her characters onto the reader, to keep them hankering after an ideal in their life that no longer exists, what could be more disappointing than that?

A good, quick read for anyone looking to expand their reading experience of short stories, as well as those who want to mildly experience subversive mind control.

Thank you to NetGalley and Chatto & Windus/Vintage books for approving me to read Daddy by Emma Cline.
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𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐚 𝐯𝐞𝐢𝐥 𝐝𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐡𝐢𝐦 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐩 𝐨𝐟 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐟𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲. 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐟𝐮𝐳𝐳𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐮𝐭, 𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐥𝐲, 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐯𝐚𝐠𝐮𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦
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The stories and characters depicted by Cline are truly excellent. It is rare for someone to capture people in such a way that their very nature is so exposed to the reader.
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𝐀 𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐲𝐛𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐞 - 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐡𝐢𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐢𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐤𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐲 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐨𝐰𝐧
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The depictions of individual characters was interesting. Although this was a collection of short stories, the characters were fully formed enough that you could envision the sphere of their lives outside of the captured snapshot.
Some of the characters I liked, and could empathise with, and some I loathed.
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𝐈𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬𝐧'𝐭 𝐟𝐚𝐢𝐫... 𝐖𝐚𝐬 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐨𝐧𝐞, 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲, 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐢𝐳𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐢𝐦?
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I especially liked the parallels throughout the book, where some stories were shown from the perspective of parents/the older generation, and some were told from the perspective of their children. I found these polarising viewpoints very realistic.
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𝐒𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐫𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐥𝐞𝐟𝐭 𝐡𝐢𝐦 𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬... 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐤𝐢𝐝𝐬 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐥𝐚𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐞𝐝 𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐢𝐟 𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐫𝐲
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Overall I thoroughly enjoyed this book, though it did at times make me feel uncomfortable.
Even the title is fairly provocative, and the reflections at times a little too honest.
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𝐇𝐞'𝐝 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐫𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐢𝐱 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐢𝐦 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐯𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐦𝐬 - 𝐦𝐚𝐲𝐛𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐝𝐧'𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐞𝐫
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I would highly recommend Daddy by Emma Cline, and would certainly read more of Cline's work.

Daddy is a unsettling collection of short stories, exploring the darker side of human nature.

Firstly, a disclaimer: I'm probably one of the few people who hasn't read The Girls (yet). So I started this book without any preconceptions about what to expect. It struck me that Cline's style is very well suited to the short story format: it's hazy and insightful in equal measures, and atmosphere is far more important than plot.

The stories largely focus on unpleasant characters and the seedier side of life, which means this is often an uncomfortable read. It's far from uplifting, but the stories featured in Daddy are astute and challenging - making it a collection well worth investing in.

My god, do I love Emma Cline’s writing. I’m not sure I can even articulate why, but these short stories completely captivated me and left me wanting more. There’s a cast of interesting (and often supremely unlikeable) characters, found in a variety of situations that stretch from the mundane to the extraordinary. Each story is unravelled slowly and tantalisingly, which makes it hard to put the book down once you have started one! I’m not normally a fan of short stories but I loved these - although I do hope that Cline might develop one or two of the ideas into a novel.

.ARC review.

Summary:
A collection of short stories based on flawed relationships with fathers, father figures, or men in positions of power.

Pages: 272

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Full disclosure I only requested this book because I thought the cover art was cool and looked like something I would read. I usually don’t like short stories so I wouldn’t have requested it if I’d known what it was. But I’m so glad I did.

Cline makes you invested in her characters from the first page. You see them in their most private and intimate moments as they reflect on the choices that have led them there. They are all flawed individuals who feel like real people. There’s also a good mix of male and female POVs and Cline does them both exceedingly well.

The stories are unique and deal with different aspects of human relationships. From a woman who sells her underwear to seedy men on the Internet, to a man who feels his relevance fading through his son’s indifference, Emma Cline weaves in and out of these stories masterfully, giving thoughtful insights into each.

There were a couple stories at the end that didn’t interest me as much but were still worth reading once. But my favourites were: what can you do with a general, Los Angeles, son of Friedman, and the nanny

This book has made me a short story convert! And I am so looking forward to reading Emma Cline’s other work.

Thank you to NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Link:
https://www.instagram.com/p/CEopEPqA1sH/?igshid=mo4byd5b24tx

Cline is a wonderful writer and these stories exploring female identity, the male gaze and societal attitudes towards women and girls are deeply affecting. With each story, it's as if she turns over a new stone and shows us the murky world beneath. They're not always easy to read, inviting observation of the generally 'unspoken' which can be unsettling. But they are important. And they are also beautifully written.

I enjoyed this collection of dark and gritty short stories. The stories offer a glimpse into the lives of a varied set of characters from teenage girls to older men, all of whom are troubled in some way. The narratives cover engaging themes such as broken relationships, regret, guilt and addiction. Cline is very talented in leaving a lot unsaid about the details of her characters’ lives which is incredibly powerful. My only criticism is that I wanted to stay with some of the characters for longer!

Thank you to NetGalley and Chatto & Windus for this ARC.

Thank you to Vintage and NetGalley for the proof of this collection of short stories. I read it instantly.

After ‘The Girls’, I was so intrigued to see what Cline would conquer next and I assure you I was not disappointed.

‘Daddy’ is seeped in the dark chaos of reality. From sexual secrets to irrepressible familial disappointment, Cline has the talent and the moxy to talk about what often goes unsaid but never unnoticed. She has done something ironic and sinister and relatable, a new way of tackling short stories in our society.

Unmissable and perfect for any literary fan for Christmas

How do you follow a book like The Girls? Seriously?

Luckily, Emma Cline is just an excellent storyteller down to the bone. Probing the dark corners of human experience and treading the fault lines of power between many and much, it's able to spear right to the heart of humanity in subtle ways, nuance, and sheer talent.

What a stunning short story collection. I loved Emma Cline's 'The Girls' and this more than lived up to expectation. A rich tapestry of stories exploring the nature of family, relationships & isolation. Many could be read a couple of times & each time you'd discover something new. I loved it.