A Relationship, in Pieces
Short Stories
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A Relationship, in Pieces
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Narrated by:
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Virtual Voice
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By:
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Garry Crystal
This title uses virtual voice narration
About this listen
Relationships are balancing acts, no matter what stage you're at or how long you’ve been with your partner. Whether long term, a first date, or simply a fleeting encounter - it only takes a wrongly spoken word or a misunderstanding for things to quickly deteriorate.
Each story in A Relationship, in Pieces explores characters at different periods of a relationship; meetings between strangers, a first date and an inevitable ending that is apparent to all but those involved. These are the cautionary tales played out every night in cities around the world. If you've ever been in a relationship that hasn’t run entirely smoothly, your story may possibly be here.
Waiting in the 11th Arrondissement – A couple spend an evening in a Parisian restaurant where an eavesdropping waiter takes pleasure in an argument that ensues from being too honest, too early. Running With the Bulls – A man trapped in a long term make-up and break-up relationship looks to his past in the hope of saving their future. But salvation may come from an unexpected source. Strangers – A drunken night in London leads to a chance meeting between two strangers. But in a city of over seven million people, where wariness is a safety device, you can either accept the drama or lock yourself away from the world. The Critics' Confettii - A chance encounter leads to a woman verbally tearing apart a writer's literary efforts, unaware that she's ultimately only fuel for the writer's fire.
These stories also appear in the collection of short stories, All of Us With Our Pointless Worries and Inconsequential Dramas
Reviews for Garry Crystal’s short stories collection All of Us With Our Pointless Worries and Inconsequential Dramas
"Most of these narratives depict the all too common scene for thirty something men and women in the lonely city, whether Paris, London, or New York: struggles at recovery from ruined relationships, lapses into sloth, alcohol, drugs, casual, sometimes barely civil, sexual encounters and of course a depression that blankets these scenes of urban discontent like a grey, palpable fog. For all this, I could not dismiss as dreary cliche' this highly entertaining and thought provoking collection. It was fun to read and at some points, downright intriguing."This collection has much to offer to readers from a broad band of tastes who enjoy good story telling. If you insist upon inspirational or "uplifting", however, you might be hard pressed to extract it here. For readers prone to induced anxiety and depressed moods these stories could pose a hazard, but for those who enjoy nuanced meaning and dark ambiguities delivered by way of succinct narration and lively dialogue, these stories are the right stuff." – Online Book Club Organization
"This is a wonderful collection of short stories (and plays) which mine deeply emotional and personal territory, which is one of Crystal’s major strengths as a writer. All of these stories are deeply relatable and hyper-realistic – you either know these characters or perhaps you have found yourself in these very same situations. Each of them leaves the reader with much more than what is on the surface – ala Ernest Hemingway and/or Raymond Carver – and will have you thinking about them long after you finish reading them." - Julian Gallo, author of Breathe
Also available by Garry Crystal
Leaving London (Novel)
All of Us With Our Pointless Worries and Inconsequential Dramas (Short Stories)
The Paris Quartet: Short Stories for the End of the World
When the Arguing's Over...Modern Plays
Red Lights
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