Murmurations

  ‘'Ιt was late afternoon, with the sky already growing dark. At the bus stop opposite the crematorium gates a cold wind stirred flurries of fallen leaves; no one else was waiting. Emily peeled off a glove and slipped a hand inside her bag to touch her rosary. The beads were made from real rose petals, and the faint perfume they transferred to her fingers was a familiar comfort. Large black birds flapped and shrieked in the treetops further along the road, as Emily said the Our Father and three Hail Marys for the dead woman.''
In eight stories/snippets, Carol Lefevre allows us poignant glimpses into the lives of women whose fate has let them down in various ways. At the centre of each narration, we find Erris, a woman whose death has shocked everyone, a woman whose presence has left a deep mark on the lives of our eight protagonists. How did she die? WHY did she die? How can live our lives when others push us to betray ourselves? How can we heal the wounds of the past? How far can loneliness drive us to despair?
‘'Christ in every heart thinking of me, Christ on every tongue speaking to me, Christ in every eye that sees me.''
After the Island: A woman who finds comfort in her own company, away from the clutter of the idiots, receives strange messages in the form of voice mails. The messages come from a woman who has recently died and they are disturbing, haunting. In addition to the mystery, Emily lets us into her mind and the memories of growing up sheltered and nurtured by the nuns with Christ as her source of strength and hope. This was my favourite narrator and the writing is outstanding.
Little Buddhas Everywhere: Claire finds herself unable to withdraw from the clutches of her ex-husband's second marriage and his strange, New-Aged crazed wife. But does she actually WANT to be free or does she keep on coming back because of some form of emptiness in her life following the divorce?
‘'It was half - past two on one of those dark Sunday afternoons when the house smelled of chimneys and hidden damp, and for the past hour she had been trying not to give in to gloom. The mood that tugged at her was as familiar as breath; it was not the kind that welcomed company. She looked around the first-floor sitting room, which in the aftermath of the ringing felt unnaturally quiet. Its tall unshuttered windows framed lengths of bruise-coloured sky, its lamps were still unlit, and everything looked slightly insubstantial in the dimness. From the street it would appear as if no one was home.''
Beautiful writing is beautiful.
Evening All Afternoon: Fiona becomes the trusted listener to a couple that goes through a rough patch in their marriage without letting anyone know about her own struggle with loneliness. This story is moving and quietly haunting and contains some of the finest descriptions of those end-of-summer afternoons that always hold a special place in our hearts. Just read the following extracts and you'll see what I mean:
‘'It had been the tail end of the summer, with a breath of autumn in the late-afternoon air, and it was that smokiness of the season turning, the prospect of the winter to come, that had plunged Fiona into one of her blackest -ever bouts of homesickness.''
‘'It had begun to rain, and the sound of it beating against the window glass made the room and everything in it seem snug and secure, as if everything would be all right for as long as they remained safe within its sheltered warmth.''
Glory Days: A mother who should not be called thus and the desperate choices Lazbie led herself into result in an uncertain future. All because of our inability to talk to others and to believe that a better version of ourselves exists within us.
The Lives We Lost: Jeanie has always been the one who did everything right. Exemplary daughter, exemplary student, exemplary mother and wife. She has always been there for everyone. But what happens when everyone starts letting you down? When you realise that all your efforts have been to no avail and the comfort of a stranger is all you need? I fell in love with this story and the ending is pure brilliance.
This Moment Is Your Life: Delia's story is an ode to perseverance, to second chances and a moving account of facing the early stages of dementia.
Murmurations: A young man meets a client who changes his life. Easy to walk into spoilers territory with this one so no further details.
Paper Boats: The strange incident of a woman's (suspicious?) death provides the inspiration for an aspiring writer to create the story that will probably be her breakthrough into the publishing world. 
I could write pages upon pages for this extraordinary Russian-doll novella. The writing is phenomenal, the scenery tranquil, yet ferocious in its simplicity. The four seasons are depicted to perfection and the quietness and clarity of the narrators' voices is married to the calmness that comes from being fully aware of your fate and - possibly - accepting it. Because, sometimes, that's all you'll be allowed to do...
Side-note: Good Lord, this slim gem contains the finest Acknowledgements section I've ever read, and Carol Lefevre's musings on how Edward Hopper's masterpieces influenced her stories are perfection.
‘'Fly away, Arthur. Fly far, be free. Erris.''
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