book 93

a.l. kennedy's indelible acts
those of you who have followed this blog for a while may remember that i loooved the two novels by kennedy i read this year. sadly, this book of short stories didn't quite hit the same highs for me, though i did really enjoy it. most of the stories revolve around sex in some way--forbidden, forgotten, regained--but they're never cheap or tawdry or any other adjective like that. kennedy is such a lovely writer that i'm not sure she could write anything tawdry (i just like saying "tawdry"). these stories have a sense of loneliness and alienation--people trying to connect with one another, and sometimes succeeding, but usually not. still, there were a few in here that really blew me away, especially "the immaculate man" and the final story, "how to find your way in woods." i'm definitely looking forward to getting a copy of kennedy's latest novel, even if i have to order it from amazon.co.uk!