Caravan Thieves
Caravan Thieves by Gerard Woodward, published by Vintage Books on April 6, 2009, is a collection of short stories that delve into the unsettling aspects of everyday life. This edition, comprising 352 pages, presents narratives that often shift from the mundane to the surreal, creating a disorienting experience for readers. Woodward’s stories explore themes of humor, pathos, and the complexities of dysfunctional families, all while offering moments of striking imagery and reflections on mortality.
Readers will find that the stories in Caravan Thieves are rooted in familiar situations that unexpectedly veer into the bizarre. The title story, “Rape,” illustrates this shift as a caravan mysteriously relocates, prompting violent fantasies among its occupants. Throughout the collection, Woodward employs a vivid writing style that captures the essence of ordinary lives while revealing the underlying tensions that can lead to extraordinary circumstances. This exploration of literature and fiction through short stories invites readers to contemplate the fragility of normality.
Official synopsis Publisher
Product Description
Most of these vivid and unsettling stories are rooted in apparently everyday lives and situations, but suddenly become surreal or disturbing. Reading them feels as though you’re walking along in the real world and suddenly you step off an edge into a void, where rules of gravity and normality have disappeared but life carries on. Full of Woodward’s trademark mix of humour, pathos, dysfunctional families and disappointed lives, they contain also dazzling moments of illumination, perfect imagery and intimations of mortality.
The title comes from the story “Rape,” where a caravan (a nice Fleetwood Marauder) seems to have been lifted from its regular berth at Glenmore Caravan Park in the middle of the night to land with its occupants in a field in the middle of nowhere — which leads to unaccustomed and violent fantasies.
From the Hardcover edition.
About the Author
Gerard Woodward is the author of an acclaimed sequence of novels:
August (shortlisted for the 2001 Whitbread First Novel Award),
I’ll Go to Bed at Noon (shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize) and
A Curious Earth. He published several prize-winning collections of poetry before turning to fiction. He teaches creative writing at Bath Spa University.
From the Hardcover edition.
FAQ
What is “Caravan Thieves” about?
Who is the author of “Caravan Thieves”?
When was “Caravan Thieves” published?
What is the ISBN for “Caravan Thieves”?
What are the book details (language, pages, edition)?
