LONG DISTANCE

Acclaimed author of The Anthropologists Aysegül Savas s acute and tender first collection explores the distances we keep and those we try to close in the age of connectivity A researcher abroad in Rome eagerly awaits a visit from her long distance lover only to find he is not the same man she remembers An expat meets a childhood friend on a layover and is dismayed by her unexpected contentment A newly pregnant woman considers the taboo of sharing the news too soon but can t resist when an opportunity comes to patch up a damaged friendship Long Distance showcases Savas s devastating talent for the short story Her shrewd encapsulations of contemporary life often centre on characters displaced more by choice than circumstance characters both determined to install themselves in new lives and preoccupied with the people they ve left behind Don t be deceived by Savas s cool matter of fact tone beneath it lie layers of wisdom delicacy and subtlety Guardian Singular delightful The melancholy of these narrators though tangible treads only lightly on the text an effect achieved through the spareness of Savas s prose style TLS Rome Marseille Istanbul Paris and small town Russia are the backdrops for these tender stories Daily Mail An exceptionally ele