by Adam Foulds
First published 2007
In this collection of interconnected narratives, Foulds presents characters navigating the complexities of modern existence. The stories weave together moments of personal crisis and social upheaval, examining how individuals respond when familiar structures begin to shift. Through carefully observed scenes of domestic life, workplace tensions, and chance encounters, the book reveals the fault lines running beneath everyday experience. Each character faces moments that force them to reckon with uncomfortable realities about themselves and their world. Foulds captures the particular anxiety of living through uncertain times, when the future feels both urgent and unknowable. The stories build toward a deeper understanding of how people find meaning and connection amid disruption and change.
Genres: short-stories, literary-fiction, contemporary, 21st-century
Vibes: atmospheric, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: character-study, interconnected-narratives
Period: 21st-Century
336 pages · Hardcover · Weidenfeld & Nicolson