Ratings8
Average rating4
**WINNER OF THE EDGE HILL SHORT STORY PRIZE 2019** Discover the brilliant new short story collection from the Man Booker-shortlisted author of All That Man Is Twelve people on the move around planet Earth, twelve individual lives, each in turmoil, and each in some way touching the next. In this nuanced and deeply moving sequence, David Szalay’s diverse protagonists circumnavigate the world in twelve plane journeys, from London to Madrid, from Dakar to Sao Paulo, to Toronto, to Delhi, to Doha, en route to see lovers and parents, children and siblings, or nobody at all. Along the way, Szalay deftly depicts the ripple effect that, knowingly or otherwise, a person’s actions have on those around them, and invites us to consider our own place in the vast and delicately balanced network of human relationships that is the world we live in today.
Reviews with the most likes.
4.5 stars
I really enjoyed this storyline. It truly portrays, how are lives are interconnected. My only con, I wished the story was longer.
What a great little book! Read in one sitting, went by in a flash! Every chapter focuses on a different person, all in transit from one airport to another. Each chapter is named after the airport connections, and each chapter, each person, is connected to the person before in some way. Either they met while in transit or they already knew each other, but those connections make it flow beautifully and tie each chapter together.
It was an inspiring read. It made me think of all the times I've sat in an airport or train station, passing time by people-watching and making up stories in my head of where each person was going, where they came from, what their life was like, what they were thinking. This book felt like those thoughts come to life, where we're actually given a little glimpse into the lives of the people we run into while traveling. 4.5 stars.