The Happiest Days

When I came across this slim volume of stories at the library, I didn't read the jacket info closely enough to realize that this was Cressida Connolly's debut. The stories here are impressively well-written and warmly emotional, without being sappy in the least -- they could easily be the work of a seasoned writer. The photo on the book's cover of the two young girls is an appropriate one -- nearly all of the stories center around children or young adults. The two stories that revolve around adults, 'Bare' and 'The bounce', involve children to a lesser degree, but they are there. Connolly has a sharp eye (or is it a memory in some cases...?) and keen observational/descriptive talents. She chooses her words carefully and to great effect. One particular talent she possesses is her ability to tell some of the stories from varying points of view, without allowing the shifts in perspective to become confusing to the reader. This technique is not over-applied, and it adds multiple dimensions to several of the works here. Besides the childhood/young adult perspective that most of these stories share, I found another common thread. In each one, a secret of some sort plays a part in the events -- and a secret is a powerful thing. In some cases, the secret is held by a single character -- in others, it is a secret shared between two characters, or revealed. It always has its consequences -- the power gained, or the events set in motion are not in every case planned or calculated, but they are there nonetheless. Connolly is a very talented writer -- I look forward to reading more by her in the future.

I usually don't go for short stories, but I must say that I was really impressed with Ms. Connolly's book. All of the stories were interesting and thought-provoking. I was hoping that she had other books available...I will be waiting patiently for more!