Ten Stories about Smoking
By Stuart Evers
2011
First Published
3.56
Average Rating
256
Number of Pages
This title features ten stories of allure, betrayal, nostalgia, solitude, seduction, damage, desire and loss; of silence broken by the click of a lighter; insomnia defined by a glowing ember; a magician's trick; a lover's scent; and, a final wish. These are stories that go to the heart of things. 'In this remarkable collection, Stuart Evers winds a course through worlds of yearning, secrets and mortification in prose as lithe as a ribbon of smoke' - Wells Tower. 'Love, loss and recovery are the real themes of these quiet, haunting stories, which add up into an unexpectedly powerful book. An impressive debut' - Aravind Adiga. 'Evers has found possibility in even the bleakest and smallest of lives, with each delicately linked not only by a cigarette but also by a glimpse into how terrifyingly empty a life can be' - David Vann. 'With powerfully understated writing, Evers has an eye for the humor that lives alongside sadness, and above all for the humanity in the smallest of actions' - Evie Wyld.
Avg Rating
3.56
Number of Ratings
252
5 STARS
16%
4 STARS
38%
3 STARS
33%
2 STARS
12%
1 STARS
2%
goodreads
Author
Stuart Evers
Author · 5 books
Formerly a bookseller and editor, Stuart Evers is a writer and reviewer. His short stories have appeared in The Best British Short Stories 2012, Prospect and on The Times website. He has reviewed for a wide range of publications including the Guardian, the Independent, the Daily Telegraph and New Statesman. He lives in London. His first book was published in 2011, a collection of short stories entitled Ten Stories about Smoking. It was described by the Daily Telegraph as "original and quietly devastating", while New Statesman noted echoes of Raymond Carver and Alice Munro. The book won the 2011 London Book Award at the London Awards for Art and Performance.
