Description

Book Synopsis

Finalist for the 2023 Joyce Carol Oates Prize

A new collection of stories by David Means, a visionary master of the form (The Observer).

Two nurses meet in the hospital parking lot to share a cigarette. They flirt and imagine a future together. They tell stories of patients lost and patients saved, of the darkest corners of human suffering and the luminous moments that break through, even here, in the shadow of death.

In David Means's virtuosic new collection, time unfolds in unexpected ways: a single, quiet moment swells with the echoes of a widower's complicated marriage; a dachshund, given a new name and a new life by a new owner, catches the scent of the troubled man who previously abandoned her; young lovers become old; estranged couples return to their vows; and those who have died live on in perpetuity in the memories of those whom they touched. The stories in this collectionwhich have won the O. Henry Prize and the Pushcart Prize, a

Two Nurses Smoking

    Product form

    A Paperback / softback by David Means

    £16.20

    Includes FREE delivery

    RRP £18.00 – you save £1.80 (10%)

    Order before 4pm today for delivery by Tue 17 Nov 2026.

    Out of stock

      Trusted by thousands of customers. See 2,385+ Customer Reviews

      View other formats and editions of Two Nurses Smoking by David Means

      Book details

      Publisher St Martin's Press
      Published 12 September 2023
      ISBN-13 9781250872517
      978-1250872517
      ISBN-10 1250872510

      Description

      Book Synopsis

      Finalist for the 2023 Joyce Carol Oates Prize

      A new collection of stories by David Means, a visionary master of the form (The Observer).

      Two nurses meet in the hospital parking lot to share a cigarette. They flirt and imagine a future together. They tell stories of patients lost and patients saved, of the darkest corners of human suffering and the luminous moments that break through, even here, in the shadow of death.

      In David Means's virtuosic new collection, time unfolds in unexpected ways: a single, quiet moment swells with the echoes of a widower's complicated marriage; a dachshund, given a new name and a new life by a new owner, catches the scent of the troubled man who previously abandoned her; young lovers become old; estranged couples return to their vows; and those who have died live on in perpetuity in the memories of those whom they touched. The stories in this collectionwhich have won the O. Henry Prize and the Pushcart Prize, a

      Recently viewed products

      © 2026 Book Curl

        • American Express
        • Apple Pay
        • Diners Club
        • Discover
        • Google Pay
        • Maestro
        • Mastercard
        • PayPal
        • Shop Pay
        • Union Pay
        • Visa

        Login

        Forgot your password?

        Don't have an account yet?
        Create account