“Quite wonderful. Such grace and clarity—I’m filled with admiration.” —Philip Pullman, author of His Dark Materials
“Bravura. . . . Word-perfect. . . . Immensely readable. . . . Swift is a master of dialogue who delights in the possibilities of the human voice. . . . His archly modulated, precise prose, reminiscent at times of Kazuo Ishiguro’s, has lost none of its power. . . . From start to finish, Twelve Post-War Tales is a marvel of the storyteller’s art.” —Ian Thomson, Financial Times
“Wonderful—both heartbreaking and generous. . . . The characters in this collection share their thoughts and memories with the reader as though with a close friend, and the warmth of their confidences balances against their sadness. We feel we’ve been in the trenches with them, even when a story has gone no farther than the living room.” —Sam Sacks, Wall Street Journal
“Setting the seemingly ordinary lives of his characters against the great, tumultuous moments of history—from the Second World War to the Cuban Missile Crisis, September 11th and the Covid pandemic—the Booker Prize winner traces a tender and moving web of connections across decades.” —Financial Times (Most Anticipated Books of 2025)
“These stories, depth charges of love, anguish, resentment, each in their way relating to the effects of World War II, are so good. Swift at his best—and he’s on top form here—has the humanity and wry humour of William Trevor.” —Patrick Gale, author of A Place Called Winter
“Perceptive. . . . Finely tuned.” —Publishers Weekly
“A brilliant, illuminating collection of short fiction, perhaps the author’s best. . . . In Swift’s touching, deeply humane stories, life leaves its mark in mysterious and sometimes-humorous ways. His gift for capturing in revealing detail the interior lives of people coping—or failing to cope—with disappointment gives each of these stories a rare depth.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
“Affecting. . . . In stark, immediate prose, deployed with utmost patience, Swift holds us close and points to powerful truths.” —Brendan Driscoll, Booklist
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