Uplifting and absorbing are not words usually associated with funerals but in After The Funeral, the latest short story collection from Tessa Hadley, they are offered in abundance. Despite the sombre title, each story sparks with intrigue within the pages as the characters’ hidden depths are revealed, and offers a unique perspective – from the initial title story, detailing the lives of two daughters and their mother following their father’s untimely death, to the shocking conclusion of My Mother’s Wedding. The wonders of past connections developed in The Other One stood out brightly for this reader.
Some stories here may be familiar to readers after first being printed in various publications, but After The Funeral is the first time they’ve been joined together, while Hadley’s last short story collection Bad Dreams was published in 2017. It’s difficult not to get absorbed within the lives of each character: the author is attuned to, and captures the intricacies of, the human condition so accurately, offering unique and often surprising outcomes to their actions.
There aren’t many authors who can convey human behaviour so clearly. Most of the stories simmer on the page, leaving me wondering about their aftermath and wanting to discover more about each character’s journey.
After The Funeral, Tessa Hadley (Jonathan Cape)
Price: £18.99/£9.99 Ebook/£14 audiobook. Info: here
words RHIANON HOLLEY