Davenport’s latest collection of short stories and novellas contemplates perennially interesting themes of unrequited love—both parental and romantic—self-doubt, and the intensity of life. In “Screengrab,” readers are transported to the tormented home of teenaged Lauren, who longs for an absent father and grasps at dangerous straws to find him, while the invasive, modernistic world in “Deathcast” considers being healthy a duty of state, where implanted wellness chips and genetically engineered, powdered food serve as the markers of the future. Davenport (author of Dear Lucifer) plumbs harrowing situations that brim with the gristle and decay of dark intentions, made more chilling by their similarity to contemporary times.

Narrated in an intimate, fiercely visual style, Davenport’s stories leave readers with an almost cinematic feeling, transporting them to the brink of brokenness alongside characters who damage, chafe, and, ultimately, surprise, with their capacity for treading water in the midst of horrifying situations. The stream of consciousness narration in “Stations of the Soul” unites all of its disparate characters into a single thread, utilizing London streets and cafes—where “the faces come and go… flowing up to the glass divide and receding like an endless tide”—as connective tissue in a string of brief, heightened interactions, a close-up shot of the pandemonium of a megalopolis and the chaos that makes up life itself.

“Cut Out and Keep” is the cheerful offering of the bunch, recounting a tale of unrequited love in hushed, lyrical tones, where Jack longs for the object of his affections from afar, “watch[ing] her, enraptured, like a man seeing beauty for the first time.” To cope with his rejection, he fashions a cardboard cutout of his heart’s desire, frequently talking to it, and inadvertently opens a window into his emotions that produces an unexpected impact. This is an evocative collection, alive with portraits of people caught in the strands of life’s bewildering web.

Takeaway: An immersive collection that illuminates life’s most intense moments.

Comparable Titles: Ramona Ausubel’s Awayland, Jenny Zhang’s Sour Heart.

Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: A