Extraordinary acclaim for Helen Simpson's
COCKFOSTERS "If it were easy to explain what Helen Simpson can do with a story, more writers would be fashioning such jewels . . . Extra bravas for such heartfelt authenticity . . . deeply funny . . . unpredictably tender . . . What more does one want in a short story besides memorable characters, comic timing, originality, economy and poignancy? And heart. All there. Done. The reader thanks Simpson's eye and ear for such generosity."
--Elinor Lipman,
The New York Times Book Review "Time is the essence of this spare, subtle short story collection . . . Sharply written . . . Incisively sly and clever . . . Although Simpson's stories are timely and rooted in their British milieu--strongly evoking the personal and cultural struggles of today's middle class--they are also far-reaching and timeless, addressing matters of loyalty and mortality that are universal and deeply human. Simpson's stories pack a quiet emotional power that extends beyond their pages."
--
Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"Wonderful . . . Her sixth collection continues to delight with her pitch-perfect ear for dialogue and delicate handling of weighty subtexts . . . A vital (and pleasurable) voice."
--Melanie White,
The Independent on Sunday "Sad, funny, and true . . . if Simpson were an American short story writer, she'd be hailed as a genius."
--Max Liu,
The Independent "Exquisitely tender . . . A breakthrough collection."
--Rebecca Abrams,
Financial Times "Elegant fable-like pieces about the nitty-gritty of middle-class family life . . . Truthful, funny and sharp . . . Elegant, sane, and--while remaining firmly rooted in ordinary life--gently ground-breaking."
--Theo Tait,
The Sunday Times "Remarkable . . . Humour is never far from the surface . . . Joy and its flipside, pain, are frequently glimpsed together . . . Simpson has a fine ear for the cadence of everyday speech and for the truths that may lie behind the most mundane of expressions."
--Emily Rhodes,
The Times Literary Supplement "Simpson has assembled a body of work over the course of a quarter century that delivers one of literature's richest accounts of the post-war lives of girls and women."
--Sarah Crown,
The Guardian "Witty, hilarious and deeply discomfiting."
--Neel Mukherjee,
The Spectator "A virtuoso of the short story . . . Simpon's stories are little miracles that cut straight to the heart of the matter without ever losing their mystery . . . Tenderly measured and entirely human. It's this tightrope balance between our outer lives and inner expanses that continues to make her writing sing."
--Justine Jordan,
The Guardian