In this new collection, Wendy Erskine once again offers revealing snapshots into the domestic lives and chance encounters of ordinary people – laying bare all the joy, humour, tragedy and farce that lie therein. While one of the stories has been published previously (‘Secrets Bonita Beach Krystal Cancun’ – released in a limited edition pamphlet by Tangerine Press), the other stories are completely new. As with her debut collection, Sweet Home, Wendy Erskine once again shows her fantastic ear for dialogue, brilliant dark humour and ability to land an emotional punch that the reader doesn’t see coming. Praise for Sweet Home: ‘An exceptional ear for dialogue, an impeccable semantic rhythm and an uncanny ability to tease laughter out of the darkest moments mean Erskine is perfectly poised to stare, unflinching, into our neoliberal abyss. The result is a gripping, wonderfully understated book that oozes humanity, emotion and humour.’ Guardian ‘Acutely, brilliantly observed . . . Erskine writes about her characters without sentiment but with compassion and, perhaps most importantly, with a sense of the absurd that finds humour in the darkest of places . . . The stories in Sweet Home are often very funny, even when they unsettle.’ The Times ‘Completely brilliant . . . Erskine’s gift for understated black comedy, crisp dialogue and sharp characterisation ensures that Sweet Home is no wallow-in-kitchen-sink misery. Reading it is an enlivening experience and Erskine’s career is one to keep an eye on in the years to come.’ Will Gore, ‘Five books to read this Autumn’, Spectator]]>
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