We're Flying by Peter Stamm

Following his celebrated novel Seven Years, We're Flying is a short story collection by Peter Stamm, brimming with insight into the psychological ruptures that accompany the domestic, everyday affairs of a life. Written with Carveresque economy, these sparse and direct tales roam in subject; from an older woman mystified by her strange relationship with a young man living upstairs; to a priest who starts to believe in the immaculate conception of a local girl; and a young teacher attempting to rekindle a love affair on returning to his adolescent home.

The discipline of the writing comes through most strongly in the evenness of tone that runs throughout. The only issue with this is that reading several of the stories in one sitting can be trying. At times, admiration for Stamm's craft is undermined by a desire that he attempt something radically different, and vary the unknowable and often bleak pictures he paints. That said, there are real moments of beauty here and so many crushingly accurate portrayals of human behaviour that you are bound to cringe in recognition at least once. We're Flying can be brutal and unflinching with the reader, but this honesty is also what makes the collection so essential.