{"product_id":"moderate-to-poor-occasionally-good-9780008618964","title":"Moderate to Poor Occasionally Good","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSHORTLISTED FOR THE 2025 DYLAN THOMAS PRIZEA Granta Best Young British Novelist''A thrilling love for the stuff of language  Magical'' JON McGREGORPoignant and playful'DAILY MAIL A writer with few real rivals'IRISH TIMES''A visionary writer'' JAN CARSONThe stunning new collection of stories from the award-winning author of The Liar's Dictionary and Attrib. and Other Stories.Granta Best Young British novelist and acclaimed author of Attrib. and other stories, Eley Williams returns with a thrilling collection of short stories exploring the nature of relationships both intimate and transient  from the easy gamesmanship of contagious yawns to the horror of a smile fixed for just a second too long.A courtroom sketch artist delights in committing portraits of their lover to paper but their need to capture likenesses forever is revealed to have darker, more complex intentions. A child's schoolyard crush on a saint marks a confrontation with the reality of a teenage body in flux. Elsewhere, an editor of canned laughter loses their confidence and seeks divine intervention, and an essayist annotates their thoughts on Keats by way of internet-gleaned sex tips.Moderate to Poor, Occasionally Good hums with fossicking language and ingenious experiments in form and considers notions of playfulness, authenticity and care as it holds relationships to account: their sweet misunderstandings, soured reflections, queer wish fulfilments and shared, held breaths.Undeniably a skilful book'TELEGRAPHStories that work from the inside out glancing,intriguing'GUARDIAN''Erudite and audacious'' KEIRAN GODDARDFrequently brilliant and deeply pleasurable' CAOILINN HUGHESI don't know anyone else who can write like this  What a joy!'' BEN PESTERA joy for the head and the heart'' RUBY COWLING","brand":"HarperCollins Publishers","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51017456189783,"sku":"9780008618964","price":9.49,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9780008618964.jpg?v=1750773640","url":"https:\/\/bookcurl.com\/products\/moderate-to-poor-occasionally-good-9780008618964","provider":"Book Curl","version":"1.0","type":"link"}