Magpie: And Other Stories

A collection of thirteen stories with settings from the now-vanished hutongs of 1980’s Beijing to the ruins of present-day Syria; from suburban Britain to a clinic in Kenya. In these stories men and women reveal their hidden desires – and their humanity – in their longing to escape, and yearning to connect.

Set in a range of deftly realised locations, these compelling stories take the reader from the hutongs of Beijing, on the cusp of change in 1980, to present-day Syria. We meet Mahmoud, confronting his son in the ruins of a museum; Jill, searching for clues to her son’s life in Kenya. Stranded on a nightmarish holiday island, Steve is sure his dark secret can remain hidden, despite an unsettling encounter with a stranger who seems to know everything about him. In suburban Britain, Madeleine faces the loneliness of an empty nest and grapples with the echoes of a past affair. In a small town in the heart of Spain, William discovers that his plans for his dream holiday home – and the fate of his family – are more entwined with the life of his elderly neighbour than he could ever have imagined. Close relationships are stretched to breaking point; past secrets are revealed to haunt the present.

In stories that surprise and entertain – yet leave the reader with room to think – Sarah Hegarty’s sharp-eyed prose examines the complexities of human relationships, and our enduring longing to connect.

''A powerful, unsettling, glittering collection from a writer of huge talent’ – Liz Jensen, author of Your Wild and Precious Life

• | Author: Sarah Hegarty
• | Publisher: Troubador Publishing
• | Publication Date: Sep 28, 2024
• | Number of Pages:
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• | Binding: Paperback / softback
• | ISBN-13: 9781805145004
• | ISBN-10: 1805145002