"I can't hear you."
"Do you want to hear me?"
"No."
Our strangers is a striking collection of short fictional that brings shines a light on the small, seemingly unimportant interactions that happen every day and showing us how meaningful or impactful a stranger or passing comment can really be.
Davis has a strangely compelling way of capturing littlest, quietest parts of the human experience and breaking them down into these little snapshots of life that are universally recognisable. It paints a picture of beautiful moments of connection and understanding in a thoughtful and provocative way.
The prose was strange but delightful — it took a moment to realise these short pieces weren’t stories exactly, didn’t always have a narrative structure, but instead were just moments that were fleeting and we quickly move onto the next one. They had a slight playful, lyrical air to them and felt like snippets of conversations caught in passing. Considering the sheer amount of sections, I can’t say I resonated with or enjoyed every piece of writing, but there’s so many choices you’ll definitely find something to interest you.
From a cat and dog observing their differences, tired workers who cry in the office, a woman fantasising about time to herself, to a man sneezing on the train, to people posting in online forums and several anecdotes about the authors own connections with strangers, there was such variety that every few pages felt refreshed and new.
Also as a quick note from me, there is a memo at the start of the book that was very important - this book will only be available at independent booksellers. Your local booksellers are just readers like us, and if we don’t use them, we’ll lose them. Pop into your local bookstore or find their own website, talk about your favourite stories and make sure we keep bookstores alive.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
- Our Strangers will be released on October 5th 2023. I received an advanced reviewers copy of this title.
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