The Pre-War House and Other Stories

Starred review from June 1, 2018
An understated series of stories by Moore--whose first novel, The Lighthouse, was shortlisted for the 2012 Man Booker Prize--captures facets of loss and obligation. Set in empty homes, isolated fortresses, and seaside cottages, these stories use physical spaces as echo chambers of memory--of what once was or what might have been. In and out of them, women and girls (plus two male protagonists) skirt life's darkest forces, particularly the weight of birth, death, and infidelity. In "Seclusion," Maureen, once a desired young woman, contends with onslaughts of forgetfulness and fearful isolation--until she attempts to seize control by stealing a reminder of her past in her daughter's old bedroom. "Late" finds a middle-aged woman queasily rushing to work after a cocktail-fueled evening with her deadbeat husband, taking stock of her marriage before returning that evening to a house that has been irrevocably changed. "Humming and Pinging" poignantly explores the sadness of infidelity from a child's perspective, while the meditative title story, which features a woman packing up her family home, shows that beneath the well-manicured lawns and tar soap-scented judgments of her childhood, more complicated secrets lurk. There's a sense of unmet expectations inherent in these stories--a version of the imagined past or present that juts up against reality, creating a quiet sense of sadness that dogs these characters. As they navigate their lives, Moore slowly unearths their essential fears, regrets, and unmet desires, producing a subdued and beautiful feeling of yearning that leaves the reader ruminating long after the final page.A masterful collection.

COPYRIGHT(2018) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

September 1, 2018

Moore entered the literary stage with a bang with her first novel, The Lighthouse, which was short-listed for the Man Booker Prize in 2012. Lest one think she arrived out of nowhere, the stories in this collection, dating from 2002 to 2013, demonstrate her development and skill. Moore is a master of tension and disquiet. On the surface, her characters appear ordinary: mothers, fathers, daughters, students, wives, and husbands. Yet all have secrets--infidelity, alcoholism, hidden families, tragic accidents, desertion, and violence--and the past looms large. In "Nurture," for instance, the scars on Mark's hand embody his emotionally and physically troubled relationship with his parents. Many of the stories focus on the role houses play in the characters' lives. Some become prisons, as in the particularly scary "Small Animals," or coffins, as in "When the Door Closed, It was Dark." Moore's writing, crisp and clear, and similar to Rachel Cusk (Transit), pulls readers easily into her world. VERDICT Moore is a writer to watch. Her clarity and speed of narrative will have strong YA crossover appeal.--Jacqueline Snider, Toronto

Copyright 2018 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 1, 2018
English novelist Moore's (The Lighthouse, 2017) second short-fiction collection published in the U.S. is filled with little atmospheric gems. These stories possess an eerie stillness, and Moore's elliptical style serves to heighten the sense of her characters' spare, even pinched interior lives. Though this may not sound like a ringing endorsement, Moore is a master of saying much with few words. In the first story, is the young au pair, employed by a creepy family, simply clumsy, or is something else (ahem) afoot? The ironically named Nurture is redolent with sodden soil and dripping rain, with only the merest slices of dialogue between characters. The titular, final story seamlessly weaves together memory and family history. A few stories qualify as flash fiction, so readers might start there?and that should be all it takes to get hooked. They'll also be intrigued by the stories' endings, which all come with a little hitch. Although these are not happy tales, they are satisfying reads. Moore is the real deal.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)