Perfect Lives by Polly Samson

By Eithne Farry  on Friday 15 October 2010

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Samson’s interlinked short stories reveal the turbulent emotional truths that lurk beneath the surface of a seemingly calm seaside town.

The collection opens with an egg pushed through the letterbox of a grand stucco house on the seafront, prompting memories of shattered dreams for the doyenne of the home, and ends with a pesky, combative cat, a husband, a wife and the battle over the TV remote control. In between there’s the tale of a disappointed concert performer turned piano tuner, his crush on a local artist who dyes and weaves beautiful rugs but has dreams of drowning, and an unsupportive mother. There are catastrophically disastrous love affairs, quietly startling new beginnings, ill-judged tattoos and a perfectly pert birthday present involving a camera and no-clothes photography sessions. Samson’s tone is pitch perfect, as bracing and invigorating as her seaside setting.

£15.99, Virago

Review by Eithne Farry

Release date: Friday 15 October 2010

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