William Trevor & Bodily Secrets

I've just finished William Trevor's Bodily Secrets. It's a slim paperback and part of a Penguin series of classics, that came free with the newest issue of London Review of Books.

I had forgotten how much I once enjoyed the Irish author. Crisp down-to-earth writing, the simplicity of vocabulary and very little emotion displayed. Yet, his stories were wound around heavy emotional entanglements, followed by resignation and then, acceptance. Trevor used a character's everyday routine to bring these observations to light.

I also noticed now - when I didn't before how astutely the writer had created a unique ending for each tale. He would offer a poignancy that sometimes stretched into a deeper sadness - if sadness was called for - to leave the reader startled. It's really quite wonderful to visit a beloved author after a long time.