Bad Dreams and Other Stories

Description

The award-winning author of The Past once again “crystallizes the atmosphere of ordinary life in prose somehow miraculous and natural” (Washington Post), in a collection of stories that elevate the mundane into the exceptional.

The author of six critically acclaimed novels, Tessa Hadley has proven herself to be the champion of revealing the hidden depths in the deceptively simple. In these short stories it’s the ordinary things that turn out to be most extraordinary: the history of a length of fabric or a forgotten jacket.

Two sisters quarrel over an inheritance and a new baby; a child awake in the night explores the familiar rooms of her home, made strange by the darkness; a housekeeper caring for a helpless old man uncovers secrets from his past. The first steps into a turning point and a new life are made so easily and carelessly: each of these stories illuminate crucial moments of transition, often imperceptible to the protagonists.

A girl accepts a lift in a car with some older boys; a young woman reads the diaries she discovers while housesitting. Small acts have large consequences, some that can reverberate across decades; private fantasies can affect other people, for better and worse. The real things that happen to people, the accidents that befall them, are every bit as mysterious as their longings and their dreams.

Bad Dreams and Other Stories demonstrates yet again that Tessa Hadley “puts on paper a consciousness so visceral, so fully realized, it heightens and expands your own. She is a true master” (Lily King, author of Euphoria).

“Marvelous…. Every situation captivates; every carefully chosen word rings true.” (People)

“These consummately crafted tales reveal Hadley’s unflinching audacity and her peerless gift for revealing ourselves as we are, not as we wish to be.” (Oprah.com)

“It is impossible to overstate how much I admire the work of Tessa Hadley; her mastery of the smallest gestures on the page is breathtaking and her ability to weave a symphonic whole time after time thrilling. Every story in this collection is beautiful, precise, expansive, and a joy.” (Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney, author of The Nest)

“Her meticulously observed, extraordinarily perceptive stories are as satisfying as Alice Munro’s. Yes, Hadley is that good…. Instantly immersive…. Unlike many short story writers, who serve up slices of life cut so thin you’re left craving more, Hadley offers both rich complexity and satisfying closure.” (Heller McAlpin, NPR)

“Like Murakami, Tessa Hadley’s marvelous new collection, ‘Bad Dreams and Other Stories’ scrutinizes difficult, messy relationships…. Hadley demonstrates how brief, powerful relationships can forever change people…. Deliciously, Hadley’s characters also practice the art of deceit, unaware how stacked lies will eventually topple over onto them.” (Don Waters, San Francisco Chronicle )