Stories

“Perceptive and virtuosic . . . . these visceral, incandescent stories treat us to Garner’s companionable brilliance.”
—The New York Times Book Review

“Garner’s writing is salutary; if you’re heartsick or world-weary, you’ll feel better after a few pages of it.”
—Los Angeles Review of Books

“These stories also offer up the same brutal admissions that make up Garner’s novels—bold responses to questions of sex and desire and the limits of relationships, friendships, motherhood.”
—Kismet

“These stories ignite new ways of seeing the world.”
—Publishers Weekly (starred)

“Trenchant and sly, Garner’s characterizations and observations of quotidian relationships vibrate with a mercilessness tempered by the occasional fond memory of a foundational past.”
—Booklist

“Helen Garner’s stories share characteristics of the postcard. . . . Scenes pass as if viewed from a train—momentarily, distinct, and tantalizing in their beauty.”
—The New York Times Book Review

“[Garner’s] prose, as always, is honest, energetic, spare, and precise.”
—Kirkus