The Pier Falls

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What to expect

'He writes with the craft of Julian Barnes or, even, Truman Capote.’ The Times

A Spectator Book of the Year

An expedition to Mars goes terribly wrong.

A seaside pier collapses.

A thirty-stone man is confined to his living room.

One woman is abandoned on a tiny island in the middle of the ocean.

Another woman is saved from drowning.

Two boys discover a gun in a shoebox.

A group of explorers find a cave of unimaginable size deep in the Amazon jungle.

A man shoots a stranger in the chest on Christmas Eve.

In this first collection of stories by the author of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time Mark Haddon demonstrates two things: first that he is a master of the short form (several of the stories have been longlisted for prizes), second that his imagination is even darker than we had thought.

Critics Review

A superb collection of stand-out storiesu2026 The Pier Falls is unique in that every story is brilliantu2026 It is, simply, and ultimately, an absolute pleasure to read
Irish Independent
This is a top-notch collectionu2026 It veers into unexpected territory, and the evolving surprises are mesmerizingu2026 'The Pier Falls' leads the collection. It is a perfectly controlled little masterpieceu2026 So chilling that one imagines its author could carve out a second career as a horror film scriptwriter.
Financial Times
Brilliant collectionu2026 Seamless proseu2026 It feels as though Haddon is leading you into the deepest underworld of human endeavor and behavior, yet holding your hand gently as he guides you into the labyrinth. Outstanding.
Daily Mail
The real redemption in these superbly gripping stories comes from their canny human detail, and the vivid, unsettling clarity they bring to our brief lives.
Sunday Times
He writes with the craft of Julian Barnes or, even, Truman Capote.
The Times
The title storyu2026is so good and so awful I read it with my hand over my mouthu2026 His global smash hit The Curious Incident of The Dog in the Night-time...hit the mark. Here, he hits it again, and again and again
Metro
A knockout. From the breathtaking first piece, The Pier Falls is powerful and emotional.
Good Housekeeping
Mark Haddon is a master of haunting detail. This title story is a tour de force and the other eight are diverting reminders of just how transporting a perfectly constructed short story can be.
GQ
Superb new collectionu2026 This impressive collection is both bleak and brilliant and shows a writer at the top of his game.
Daily Express
A sustained set of powerfully told stories... It's as if Ian McEwan had never turned nice.
Evening Standard

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