Review “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 )“Quietly explosive short stories that reveal, with unsparing precision, the epic drama simmering beneath the mundanity of everyday life…. Achingly lovely, though never sentimental, Hadley’s collection renders common lives with exquisite grace.” (Kirkus, starred review)“Remarkably precise and perceptive…. In subtly insightful and observant prose, Hadley writes brilliantly of the words and gestures that pass unnoticed ‘in the intensity of [the] present’ but echo without cease.” (Publishers Weekly, starred review)“Masterful…. Each story is more memorable than the next as Hadley seduces readers with a reassuring gentleness that craftily covers the steely danger that lies within each flawed and fragile relationship.” (Booklist)“Hadley is so insightful, such a lovely writer, that she pulls you right into the tangle of wires that connect and trip up the stressed siblings. She makes you feel for these imperfect people, want to scold them, and ultimately accept them as they are. Just like family.” (Kim Hubbard, People, Book of the week, on The Past)“Tessa Hadley recruits admirers with each book. She writes with authority, and with delicacy: she explores nuance, but speaks plainly; she is one of those writers a reader trusts.” (Hilary Mantel, author of Wolf Hall and Bring up the Bodies, on The Past) Read more From the Back Cover The author of six critically acclaimed novels, Tessa Hadley has proved herself to be a champion of revealing the hidden depths in the deceptively simple. In these short stories, it’s the ordinary things that turn out to be the 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 illuminates crucial moments of transition often imperceptible to the protagonists.A girl accepts a lift in a car from 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 dreams.Bad Dreams and Other Stories demonstrates yet again that 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). Read more See all Editorial Reviews
R**S
Munro-sequel, but lacking
There is a very clear and common theme to Hadley’s stories in this collection—a character moves from innocence to a necessary though often upsetting at first glimpse into experience and the reality of things. Many protagonists are young girls in guarded families or communities who meet up with the surprise appearances of boys out for a joy ride, or a rebellious teacher, or a suddenly widowed family friend. The sudden introduction to the complications of relationships, or the struggles of womanhood, are committed on them personally, or they observe such things and are changed by the knowledge of what they’ve seen.Though interesting, this theme proves redundant after a while, making the pursuit through Hadley’s writing style a bit of a strain. Hadley’s method very much echoes that of Alice Munro—stories are often set in an antiquated time associated with innocence, where tradition and manners are sacrosanct, a veneer Hadley challenges, but while Munro often proves unskimmable, as her flowing style often proves so subtle a character’s death can even pass you by if you’re not reading closely, Hadley’s redundancies can be foregone once you see what she’s up to again.
J**S
Another winner from Tessa Hadley
All these stories are excellent. Some of them really stay in the mind. I particularly like "The Abduction," which I had read a few years ago in The New Yorker and was very happy to revisit. I'd recommend this book strongly.
G**N
Write with the detail of Alice Munro about the small ...
Write with the detail of Alice Munro about the small gestures and action that lead to deeper understand of domestic situations.
J**C
Curiously unfinished in mesmerizing ways
The separate stories each curiously unfinished in mesmerizing ways allow one's imagination to carry them on to a variety of conclusions.
N**Y
DIVE INTO THIS ONE
As always, from Tessa Hadley, beautiful and haunting details -- ordinary lives that aren't ordinary once illuminated.
P**M
Excellent
I’m totally not worthy to review this excellent collection of stories, but I’m trying to reach the twenty word mark to say at least that much. This book is so so so good, and I’m thankful to have found a new author to read.
N**L
Loved these stories
These wonderful stories transported me to a dozen other lives. Each one is a delight. I shall immediately search for more by Tessa Hadley.
M**A
A superb new book
A compelling collection of short stories. Hadley is masterful at the written word and insight into people’s emotional make-up. A must read.
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