A Granta Best Young British Novelist
'A thrilling love for the stuff of language ... Magical' JON McGREGOR
'A visionary writer' JAN CARSON
'Erudite and audacious' KIERAN GODDARD
The stunning new collection of stories from the award-winning author of The Liar's Dictionary and Attrib. and Other Stories.
Granta Best Young British novelist and acclaimed author of Attrib. and other stories, Eley Williams returns with a thrilling collection of short stories exploring the nature of relationships both intimate and transient - from the easy gamesmanship of contagious yawns to the horror of a smile fixed for just a second too long.
A courtroom sketch artist delights in committing portraits of their lover to paper but their need to capture likenesses forever is revealed to have darker, more complex intentions. A child's schoolyard crush on a saint marks a confrontation with the reality of a teenage body in flux. Elsewhere, an editor of canned laughter loses their confidence and seeks divine intervention, and an essayist annotates their thoughts on Keats by way of internet-gleaned sex tips.
Moderate to Poor, Occasionally Good hums with fossicking language and ingenious experiments in form and considers notions of playfulness, authenticity and care as it holds relationships to account: their sweet misunderstandings, soured reflections, queer wish fulfilments and shared, held breaths.
'I don't know anyone else who can write like this' BEN PESTER
'Vital, vivid and oddly companionable stories' DAVID HAYDEN
'A joy for the head and the heart' RUBY COWLING
In Moderate to Poor, Occasionally Good, Eley Williams presents a humorous and literary exploration of friendship and the coming-of-age journey. This top-tier fiction piece is a testament to Williams ability to weave complex narratives that resonate with readers on a profound level.
For fans of Jennifer Egan (A Visit From the Goon Squad), Kurt Vonnegut (The Sirens Of Titan), Bonnie Garmus (Lessons in Chemistry), Megan Mcdowell (Things We Lost in the Fire), and Elizabeth Strout (Lucy by the Sea).
HarperCollins 2024