Powerful and consistently inventive. Each story is a world unto itself, perfectly imagined and realised.

This is a stunning collection of stories. I know Haddon's work from two novels, but never dreamed him capable of such amazing diversity. He effortlessly bounces through several genres in this book, and the writing is beautiful.I expected the moving tales about sad and lonely people; Haddon has already demonstrated his abilities with quirky characters in his previous books. Here, we have Bunny, which is the story of an unhappy woman who is drawn into a relationship with her 500 pound neighbor, an...

Another pretty darn good book of short stories. The first story is the title story and I loved it, how he showed how people's lives changed in an instant. What happened after, the journalists, people whom were there and survived and those, who didn't, but he also showed how quickly things, people and their lives go back to normal. How the collapsed pier just becomes background. So true to life. Also loved Bunny, a story with a surprise ending that packs a punch. In the Boys who left home to lear...

Only 3 stars for this collection of short stories, despite the fact that I have read Haddon's first two novels and really enjoyed them. All of these stories started strongly with interesting characters and plot lines, then disintegrated into........weirdness, for lack of a better word. I thought I was reading a beautifully phrased tale, but then it would dissolve mid-stream into fantasy or horror or science fiction, when that is not what I was prepared for at all. I was thrown off balance.Three

Mark Haddon demonstrates extremely strong writing in this volume. He has a style that's slightly experimental and dances on the thin edge between reality and mythology. If you're interested in literary writing, this would be a great book to study because each piece is well-constructed and manages to engage the reader with unusual and intriguing characters that the reader can still connect with (even the odd ones).While the stories may appear eclectic on the surface, some of the recurring themes

It’s always difficult to give an overall rating to short story collections. In this case I admired the author’s writing skills, but these were employed to create stories that I sometimes found unpleasant. In this collection Mark Haddon seems to have a focus on illness and bodily decay – there are a number of descriptions of vomit, pus etc.Memory is an important theme in these stories. Many of the characters constantly revisit childhood or other memories, and some seem to be trying to escape thei...

"The Pier Falls" was my first introduction to Mark Haddon. He is clearly a talented author -- deftly managing to capture tension and drama, and honing in on the complexities of human relationships. However, this collection provided a mixed experience for me. The first, and title story, about the collapse of a pier in a seaside town is brilliant. I held my breath while listening to the audio. Haddon had transported me onto that pier and made me experience the terror right along with the character...

4.5 starsFirstly let me say that I don't like and don't read short stories. But having read some good review and recommending it for the school library thought I'd give it a go. What can I say, brilliant, outstanding the writing was so descriptive that it just sucks you right into the story. All the stories I felt were quite dark and macabre but also interesting. I've given it 4.5 stars as no doubt with most short stories it leaves you asking questions and wanting to know more, especially in thi...

Another short story collection that I enjoyed!! Thank you GR friend, Peter Boyle for giving it rave reviews! I’m not a fan of the short story. Perhaps because the stories are “short” and I don’t get a chance to connect with the characters. Author Mark Haddon pens stories with characters and situations that grab the reader. Haddon proves that a great story doesn’t need 20 pages of set-up. Haddon immediately gets to the meat of the story.Haddon’s stories are imaginative, but not so far out there t...

Absolutely outstanding. This collection will definitely make it into my top books of 2016. They are exactly the kind of stories I like - where things happen, often bleak, sad things. These stories are about ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances, rather than many short stories which seem to be about extraordinary people in ordinary circumstances. In many of them Haddon gives a nod to the future - a little snippet of how someone's life will turn out. I loved that, but it just made me want...

I recently thought to myself that I need to read more short story books. I had no idea where to start. I added quite a few to my ever growing 'to be read' pile. Then this one popped up one day and I checked with my library and it was in. A few days later I had it and decided to flip through it. I have not read previous books by Mark Haddon so I had no idea what to expect. I had no idea what to expect from short stories either (I've read a few here and there, but less than a handful). I decided t...

Some short story collections are pretty, quiet, gossamer like, daydreams. Some feel like half-explored ideas, half poems, writing exercises. This didn’t - it was powerful stuff. Haddon explores a number of ideas with a stark and dark manner - several of the stories dealing with horrible and depressing events, death and loneliness, beautifully done despite the fact some stories were difficult to stomach at times. The title story particularly strong, ‘Wodwo’ also a favourite, but no duds in there

Wow. I don't know what to say. This was totally unexpected. This collection of short stories blew my mind, especially "Bunny" and "Breathe". Both stories were so deep and full of love and death. If you need something which isn't always "And they live happily ever after...", this is definitely the right book for you.

Each story is different in kind from the next - one is about exploration, another about an apparently real-life disaster, others yet about space or the retelling of a myth; but all are conspicuously well-written and Haddon segues easily from one style to another. All are big hitters - real, strong narratives not the vugue nuances os many contemporary stories. And all are about death and the facing of it. I really enjoyed them but most the first - the pier disaster - and 'Wodwo' which cleverly re...

I am not a horror reader. I avoid suspenseful movies and do not, as a rule, choose to read thrillers. But I loved this collection. This is an anthology of psychological thrills and chills, as close to horror as you can get without being of that genre. Within these pages Mark Haddon has given free rein to his deepest, darkest imaginings. The stories in this collection reveal a fascinating look at the obsessions, delusions and quiet tragedies of human life. Spine-tingling and joltingly electric, i...