Book description
Who hasn't winced as some phone-pest embarks on a maddeningly
public conversation? But, in Perriam's title-story, the timidly
conformist Stephen does rather more than wince. Overcoming a lifetime
of restraint, he leaps to his feet on a crowded commuter-train and
throttles the offender. Or does he? The hair's-breadth line between
reality and flights of fancy is a feature of these stories Â- as in
much of Perriam's work Â- the power of the imagination providing a
highly effective antidote to grief, loss or frustration. Whether it's
Carole, the office dogsbody, finding self-esteem and status through
her congress with an Archangel, or Connie, an octogenarian spinster,
reliving her aborted wedding day by passionately kissing the visiting
plumber, Perriam's characters transform their lives in unexpected
ways. Yet, amidst such shocks and surprises are quieter moments of
grace: true heavenly grace descending on an atheist in Westminster
Cathedral; grace granted to a grieving daughter at a distinctly
offbeat funeral; grace surprising an eighteen-year-old, who, after
years of rebellion against her parents, is forced to recognize the
blessings and securities of home. Â I'm on the train!â brilliantly
chronicles the dramas and dilemmas inherent in our human condition, in
another outstanding collection from one of Britain's leading
short-story writers.
