The Pier Falls

Starred review from September 15, 2016

Wildly varying in topics from a seaside disaster in the titular opening story to an unlikely relationship that develops between an older man and the suicide attemptee he rescues in "The Weir," Haddon's nine stories here are thematically linked through a common sense of aloneness that haunts his characters. The sole survivor of a royal massacre in ancient Greece is deserted on "The Island" and struggles to stay alive. A woman joins a mission to Mars in "The Woodpecker and the Wolf," seemingly to escape the burden of earthbound relationships. A daughter returns to her childhood home in "Breathe" and is harshly confronted by her estranged mother and resentful sister. By revealing the dark disconnects, Haddon exposes the vulnerability of isolated individuals, masterfully eliciting ready empathy from listeners. Clare Corbett and Daniel Weyman take turns narrating; Corbett is unequivocally the stronger, with a wider, more versatile emotive range. VERDICT Haddon groupies will surely be driven by curiosity to pick up Falls and be gratified with unexpected rewards. Literary short story aficionados will want to explore and appreciate, as well. ["In pristinely detailed prose, Haddon shocks us with the strong sense of our humanity. Highly recommended": LJ 3/15/16 starred review of the Doubleday hc.]--Terry Hong, Smithsonian BookDragon, Washington, DC

Copyright 2016 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 7, 2016
Haddon’s (The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time) collection of nine short stories is a mélange of acutely observed domestic dramas and bizarre tales of life in outer space, ancient Greece, and a trip to a remote corner of the globe to retrieve a lost explorer. Highlights include “Bunny,” which recounts the story of a 27-year-old man who weighs 518 lbs. due to his addiction to junk food; “Breathe,” the story of a woman who returns to England from her expatriate life in California to face the relics of her desiccated family; and “Wodwo,” which combines family holiday-time melodrama with the appearance of a strange man who may be a character straight out of British folklore. “The Island,” about a princess who finds herself left on an island, and the titular “The Pier Falls,” which calmly recounts a seaside disaster, are quietly unrelenting in their descriptions of horror. Subtle strands often serve to connect the stories to one another, whether it’s a problematic mother or the smell of ammonia on someone’s dying breath. Though each story is beautifully written, Haddon is at his best when capturing the peculiarly dark, British mirth that accompanies disaster. Agent: Clare Alexander, Aitken Alexander Associates.