A masterful collection of stories that plumb the depths of everyday life to reveal the shifting tides and hidden undercurrents of ordinary relationships. Tessa Hadley has been praised as "one of the greatest stylists alive" by Ron Charles of the Washington Post. Her work draws comparisons to Alice Munro, with a keen eye for the travails, fantasies, and small joys of life.

The anthology, featuring twelve stories, explores the profound impact of seemingly small events. From Heloise's encounter with a connection to her father's tragic death, to two estranged sisters' awkward reunion, and Janie's mother's disrupted wedding plans, each narrative delves into the complexities of human relationships.

Throughout the collection, Hadley examines the tensions between responsibility and freedom, power and desire, and the clash between societal norms and personal aspirations. The stories are as psychologically astute as they are emotionally rich, highlighting Hadley's ability to bring to life both the superficial aspects of life and its deeper, often hidden layers.

This collection is a vital addition to Tessa Hadley's celebrated body of work and stands as a testament to her extraordinary skill in literary craft.

Having left his first wife, Karl Ove Knausgaard moves to Stockholm, Sweden, where he leads a solitary existence. He strikes up a deep friendship with another exiled Norwegian, a Nietzschean intellectual and boxing fanatic named Geir. He also tracks down Linda, whom he met at a writers' workshop a few years earlier and who fascinated him deeply.

Book Two is at heart a love story—the story of Karl Ove falling in love with his wife. But the novel also tells other stories: of becoming a father, of the turbulence of family life, of outrageously unsuccessful attempts at a family vacation, of the emotional strain of birthday parties for children, and of the daily frustrations, rhythms, and distractions of Stockholm keeping him from (and filling) his novel.

Knausgaard is intense and utterly honest, unafraid to voice universal anxieties. The need for totality brings superb, lingering, celestial passages. He wants us to inhabit the ordinariness of life, which is sometimes vivid, sometimes banal, and sometimes momentous, but all of it perforce ordinary because it happens in the course of a life, and happens, in different forms, to everyone.