Synopsis
'A gripping, wonderfully understated book that oozes humanity, emotion and humour.' Guardian
Shortlisted for the Edge Hill Prize 2019
Longlisted for the Gordon Burn Prize 2019
Longlisted for the Sunday Times Audible Short Story Award 2019
A Book of the Year in the Guardian, The White Review, Observer, New Statesman, TLS.
Set in the author’s native Belfast, the ten stories in Sweet Home lay bare the heartbreak and quiet tragedies that run under the surface of everyday lives. A lonely woman is fascinated by her niqab-wearing neighbours; a middle-aged teacher becomes obsessed with a young Gaelic football player; and an employer covers for his two employees caught having sex in a public toilet.
Wendy Erskine offers perfectly formed, brilliantly observed portraits of people trying to carve out a life for themselves, all the while being buffeted by the loss, grief and regret that come their way. Warm, compassionate and funny, Sweet Home captures life in contemporary East Belfast, in all of its forms.
Details
Reviews
“Spiky and funny, dark and stylish – Wendy Erskine is a natural-born story-teller, and this is a brilliant debut collection.”Kevin Barry
“With skill and style, Erskine unpicks the underlying complexity of ordinary lives, the unexpected intricacy of ordinary situations. These are stories about ramification as opposed to redemption; dark, bittersweet and perfectly formed.”Sara Baume
“Wry and wise, gripping and funny, I loved this brilliant collection.”David Nicholls
“I was drawn to the depth and soul of Wendy Erskine’s characters in her debut story collection Sweet Home.”Nicole Flattery
