Synopses & Reviews
Even happy days come to an end. In this remarkable collection, Cressida Connolly explores the lives of children and young people who, in the wake of life-altering events, find themselves split in two. A conversation on a trip to the zoo - words that caan't be held back - heralds the end of a family; a boy watches his father fold Aunt Rose into his arms and loses his vocation; in an alarming account of sibling rivalry, a young girl grows jealous of the attention paid to her dying sister.
Each of these finely crafted stories is its own forceful and separate world where familiar emotions - love, loss, jealousy, loneliness - are dissected and shown anew. With this collection, Cressida Connolly makes an exciting and stunningly original debut.
Review
"Cressida Connolly has an exact, quizzical eye, a generous imagination, and the power to draw her readers into the strangeness of being a stolen child, a lion-tamer, or a woman waiting to be tattoed." -Helen Dunmore
"Poignant reminders of adolescent traumas (first kiss, idealized friendships, the darker side of adult sexuality), these stories are unmissable." -Marie Claire
"A stunning debut....Successive stories reveal Connolly as a writer of enviable assurance." -The Observer
"She fillets the emotions of her characters to extract sinuous uncertainties and bony truths. Excellent." -Will Self
"Connolly is brilliant on characterization and the dynamics of teenage friendships, perfectly capturing the come-down of growing up." -The Times
Review
“[Connolly] makes sad, wise sense of the inner lives of children in the process of being robbed of their illusions about the world...Connolly catches them brilliantly...she takes the transition seriously, proving herself to be a breed apart from the garden-variety grown-up.”—
Newsday“These affectionate, gracefully styled stories herald the arrival...of a talented writer in perfect command of her distinctive prose.”—Publishers Weekly
“A touching debut"—US Weekly
Synopsis
Even happy days come to an end. In this remarkable collection, Cressida Connolly explores the lives of children and young people who find themselves split in two. A conversation on a trip to the zoo heralds the end of a family; a boy watches his father fold Aunt Rose into his arms and loses his vocation; a young girl grows jealous of the attention paid to her dying sister.
Examining familiar emotions--love, loss, jealousy, loneliness--with a fresh eye, The Happiest Days is an exciting, original, startling debut.
About the Author
Cressida Connolly is the daughter of the late Cyril Connolly. She lives in London with her husband and their three children.
Table of Contents
How I lost my vocation -- Canada -- The pleasure gardens -- Greengages -- Granville Hill -- Paradise Drive -- Bare -- The bounce -- Indian Summer.