BLISS AND OTHER STORIES

In the title story, we meet Bertha, a young married woman, who experiences a blissful sexual awakening, only to be cruelly disillusioned. ‘Prelude’ reveals the tensions at the heart of a seemingly united family. In ‘The Little Governess’, an emotionally immature young woman allows childish fantasy to obscure her judgement, placing her in danger. Cynical and self-loathing, the voyeuristic writer in ‘Je ne parle pas français’ delights in the tragic outcome of an elopement. In these fourteen stories, the characters reveal – through their inner thoughts and conflicts – the universal struggle of human beings to fulfil their expectations.