The Danish writer Ida Jessen masterfully explores the female voice in her latest short story collection...There are six stories in total, which are all remarkably real and relatable...At first, these stories may seem even too mundane with everyday chores of cooking and cleaning, fighting with one’s spouse, or listening to a son badmouth his mother...But as you continue to connect with these women, you realize there is so much more to their everyday lives...They are all on the brink of something that is going to change them forever...Within these short stories, the imagery of nature and all its beauty is as lush as the writing itself...The author’s talents shine because she gives us this intoxicating interiority of strong female characters showing us how complex they are, how strong, and how there is much more than what meets the eye.
... Jessen's stories are full of such striking images ... Jessen is regarded as an expert practitioner of psychological realism in her native Denmark, and the stories that make up A Postcard for Annie showcase this talent through their shrewd depictions of women wrestling with conundrums, torments and upheavals ... The shortest story in the collection is little more than a scanty sketch. Fortunately, there are three longer pieces here, each of them weighing in at around 50 pages. All turn out to be Jessen's strongest work ... Whether they are facing predicaments, making difficult emotional choices or just watching their lives unravel, Jessen's heroines earn our sympathy. Martin Aitken's surefooted translation conveys their plight and allows us to grasp Jessen's astute observations and appreciate her beguiling prose. This collection is the work of a skillful storyteller.
Renowned Danish writer Jessen’s short-story collection shows her penchant for writing about everyday lives as they’re disrupted in ways, large and small, that alter her character’s trajectories ... While large events occur—a murder, even—Jessen’s writing remains subdued and detailed, ensuring that readers will be drawn into each story and feel emotionally connected to the characters. Danish life is simply and realistically woven throughout, with hints that some of these stories may be set in the same small town. Expertly translated by Aiken, Jessen’s language flows beautifully, making this a collection readers could easily devour in a sitting; its characters and themes will stay with them long after.
A woman who makes a living reupholstering furniture finds herself reevaluating her husband after a visit from a dying friend...Trapped in her marriage by love and hope, she considers the other small-business owners in their seaside town...In another story, told from multiple points of view, the mother of two young children is murdered, and an elderly couple with information about the crime faces an agonizing choice...Jessen's writing is graceful, unhurried, convincing...In the title story, a young woman witnesses a bus accident and meets a man...The story then jumps ahead 20 years...Returning to the city where it happened, she reflects on how that small event changed her life and on the girl she'd been then...An awareness of time—whether years or eons—brightens otherwise bleak situations...The complexities of love and the passage of time enrich this insightful, original collection.
Jessen returns with a meticulously crafted collection showcasing her trademark psychological realism...These are quiet dramas, and even when emotions rise to the surface, they do so in a subtle, simmering fashion...Sometimes Jessen’s simplicity veers into the mundane, but for the most part it’s elevated by beautiful construction as her characters face universal conflicts...There’s also something of a celebration of Danish culture going on, with copious descriptions of, for instance, fried herring and lovely small towns...Jessen offers myriad if quiet delights.
