First published 2022
In "Infinite Passion of Expectation," a woman waits for something that may never arrive. The characters in these seven stories navigate the spaces between longing and reality. A tea ceremony becomes a moment of cultural collision. A mistress confronts the boundaries of her role. An overcoat carries more weight than fabric should bear. Stolen pleasures exact their own price. The imagination offers both escape and trap. Women lie in their beds, thinking thoughts that daylight cannot hold. Berriault writes with the precision of a surgeon and the empathy of a confessor. Each story peels back the surface of ordinary moments to reveal the electric current running underneath. Her characters face the gap between what they want and what they can have. The emotional core pulses with recognition: these are the small defeats and victories that shape a life.
Genres: fiction, literary-fiction, 20th-century, contemporary
Vibes: intimate, lyrical, thought-provoking
Tropes: character-driven, emotional-core
144 pages · Paperback · Counterpoint Press