Passengers/ Stragglers

Thomas Heerma van Voss’ new collection contains six stories about people who are spectators in their own lives. Often they are searching for meaning in an unpredictable world. There is a son who, with a combination of empathy and distance, describes the minutiae of his mother’s life – she is a woman trapped in an unhappy marriage who beseeches him, ‘I did show you enough love and affection when you were little, didn’t I?’ The astute gaze in these stories is reminiscent of the work of A.M. Homes or Sally Rooney. An unforgettable collection, which, despite dealing with heavy subject matter, offers room for hope and comfort.