Girl, Balancing
Format:Paperback
Publisher:Cornerstone
Published:7th Mar '19
Should be back in stock very soon
A powerful, moving and exquisite short story collection, published posthumously, from the bestselling and prize-winning author Helen Dunmore
Haunting, uplifting, beautiful: the final work from Helen Dunmore
Helen Dunmore passed away in June 2017, leaving behind this remarkable collection of short stories. With her trademark imagination and gift for making history human, she explores the fragile ties between passion, love, family, friendship and grief, often through people facing turning points in their lives:
A girl alone, stretching her meagre budget to feed herself, becomes aware that the young man who has come to see her may not be as friendly as he seems.
Two women from very different backgrounds enjoy an unusual night out, finding solace in laughter and an unexpected friendship.
A young man picks up his infant son and goes outside into a starlit night as he makes a decision that will inform the rest of his life.
A woman imprisoned for her religion examines her faith in a seemingly literal and quietly original way.
This brilliant collection of Helen Dunmore’s short fiction, replete with her penetrating insight into the human condition, is certain to delight and move all her readers.
This posthumous collection from the much-loved author, focusing on motherhood, war and women under threat, is an act of tender commemoration… there are new departures on the themes that preoccupied Dunmore: childhood, motherhood, war, friendship, forgotten lives. * Guardian – Book of the Week *
Wisdom and wit shine out from Helen Dunmore’s last stories…The simplicity of the writing is deceptive; Dunmore manages to say a lot about families, about the mystery of creativity, and the shock of seeing someone you thought you knew in a new light. * The Times *
Dunmore’s gift for period detail combines with the respect she has for her characters’ inner lives to produce an effect that is oddly moving. * Sunday Times *
Dunmore’s love of history glints and gleams in this elegant, posthumous collection * The Daily Mail *
Whether musing on a portrait of John Donne or a friendship between two widows, the late, much missed Dunmore always has something worth saying * Mail on Sunday, Event – Summer Reads *
These stories are mostly tasters, amuses-gueules to tempt new readers, and remind old ones of the future works that have now been lost. * Daily Telegraph *
I couldn’t recommend these stories more. * Evening Standard *
It was her emotional concision that made her so exceptional, a quality on ample display in these posthumous short stories, more than 30 of them, some absolute gems. * Mail on Sunday *
Dunmore’s skill as an observer and chronicler of human behaviour shines throughout this final collection of her fiction * S Magazine, Sunday Express *
A mix of historical and contemporary, they’re outstanding and showcase her amazing talent * Good Housekeeping *
ISBN: 9781786090515
Dimensions: 198mm x 129mm x 24mm
Weight: 277g
400 pages