The First Person And Other Stories - Tapa dura

In these energetic, exhilarating stories, Ali Smith portrays a world of everyday dislocation, where people nevertheless find connection, mystery, and love. In “Astute Fiery Luxurious,” a misdelivered package throws the life of a couple into disarray. A boy’s unexplained illness in “I Know Something You Don’t Know” drives his mother to seek guidance from homeopathic healers, with inconclusive results. In “The Child,” an unnervingly mature young boy voices offensive humor that genteel society would rather not acknowledge. And a confident older woman meets her awkward fourteen-year-old self in “Writ” but can’t figure out how to guide her–or even whether she should.

As Smith explores the subtle links between what we know and what we feel, she creates an exuberant, masterly collection that is packed full of ideas, humor, nuance, and compassion. Ali Smith and the short story are made for each other.

Ali Smith is the author of six previous works of fiction, including The Accidental, which won the Whitbread Award in 2005 and was shortlisted for the 2005 Man Booker Prize and the 2006 Orange Broadband Prize for Fiction, and Hotel World, which was shortlisted for both the Orange Broadband Prize and the Booker Prize in 2001. Born in Inverness, Scotland, Smith now lives in Cambridge, England.