Product Description

Deft and lyrical, this paperback edition of Michel Faber's new collection of stories is his first since his auspicious debut, "Some Rain Must Fall". It has sealed his reputation as one of Britain's most daring and original authors. Acclaimed for his pitch-perfect prose and brilliant characterisation, Faber is also celebrated for his mastery of contrasting styles. From achingly sad lost lives, through moments of exquisitely distilled happiness, to biblical innocence and savagery, Faber's characters are redeemed, abandoned, beloved and laid bare.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #205486 in Books
• Published on: 2006-07-13
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 228 pages

Review
"Not only can he scare the bejesus out of you, he can make your heart swell." The Times "By turns crepuscular, buoyant, delicate, wry, horrific, otherworldly, this worldly and organ-rupturingly funny collection is a vitamin-boost for the British short-story." David Mitchell "Here is a writer who can compare with Conrad in his ability to write the perfect sentence." Guardian "The tales are simple, varied and, without exception, leave you begging to know more." Independent on Sunday "Michel Faber is a writer unafraid of trying something different... the results are intensely powerful." Big Issue"

David Mitchell
"... wry, horrific, otherworldly, this worldly and organ-rupturingly funny collection is a vitamin-boost for the British short-story."

Guardian
"Here is a writer who can compare with Conrad in his ability to write the perfect sentence."

Customer Reviews

Disappointing
Loved The Crimson Petal, loved Under the Skin, but this did nothing for me. I found the prose transparent and pedestrian in places, and the subject-matter often recalled creative writing groups. Some interesting ideas, but the prose lacked luminosity, lyricism or indeed, anything to make it memorable. I rather wished I hadn't read it; it's knocked the shine of Michel Faber for me!

How things should be
I'll admit straight away that I haven't read the whole book, so this review is limited, incomplete and biased. But I was told that I must read the story 'Vanilla Bright Like Eminem'. When I did, it took me straight back to student days when I was given a black and white photo of an old man in a shed, and told to write said man's life story. I had to know him in every detail, his family history, his favourite butcher's, his kidney stones, the way his dog was afraid of seagulls. 'Vanilla Bright Like Eminem' made me realise what our class was all striving for.

This particular vignette of Michel Faber's encapsulates a similar moment so painfully perfectly it makes you want to spend the rest of your life dwelling in the mundane, just so that you can appreciate its value. You remember how the slightest things make you smile, and how those moments are the things you remember, though chances are at the time they will pass you by without a second thought. It's one of those stories that should be terribly corny, but instead manages to be utterly disarming. It describes something we've all experienced, and manages to make you feel ashamed that you didn't make more of it while you had the chance.

Highly recommended, even if only for ten exquisite minutes.

From dark to weird to indifference
I bought this book because of a great review in the Sunday Times and because I was looking for a holiday read in the vein of Mick Jackson's "Ten Sorry Tales" - something a bit quirky, sometimes dark, sometimes funny.

To be honest, I was a bit disappointed. The writing is more adult than the Mick Jackson book but I felt it wasn't as complete. I realise it is difficult to build characters in short stories but I didn't feel anything for any of the characters in any of the stories and some of the stories felt like snapshots of prose rather than stories. By the end of it, it had all left me a bit cold and I just felt indifferent towards the characters and episodes.

If you are into short stories, this is probably worth a look as many of the stories are certainly unusual. However, if you're like me and are looking to try short stories out, I would fully recommend going for something like "Ten Sorry Tales" instead (some dark, some charming, nicely illustrated - don't be fooled into thinking it's just a children's book!).