High Places

Winner of the International Dylan Thomas Prize“THERE IS IN THESE TALES A RECURRENT ‘FEELING OF QUEASY ANTICIPATION’ AS ONE OF MCFARLANE’S CHARACTERS OBSERVES ‘AS IF SOME TERRIBLE THING MIGHT HAPPEN AT ANY MOMENT.’ . . . IT’S A MOOD YOU ASSOCIATE WITH FLANNERY O’CONNOR EVIDENTLY ONE OF MCFARLANE’S INFLUENCES AS WELL AS PATRICIA HIGHSMITH.”―THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW (EDITORS’ CHOICE)Ranging from Australia to Greece England to a Pacific island the stories in Fiona McFarlane’s story collection The High Places journey across continents eras and genres charting the pivotal moments of people’s lives. In “Mycenae” a middle-aged couple embarks on a disastrous vacation in the company of old friends. In “Good News for Modern Man” a scientist conducts research on a small remote island where he is haunted by a colossal squid and the ghost of Charles Darwin. And in the title story an Australian farmer turns to Old Testament methods to relieve a fatal drought. All are confronted with events that make them see themselves and their lives from a fresh perspective―and what they do as a result is as unpredictable as life itself.