Na konci dne – Keeganová Claire (2024)

In a trio of brilliant stories, Keegan explores various forms of relationships and the reasons that disrupt and destroy them. In the titular story, At the End of the Day, she introduces us to a man who spends a long weekend in fateful contemplation over the woman with whom he could spend his life, if only he had acted differently in the past. In the following story, Slow, Painful Death, we follow a writer on a residency at the seaside home of the literary figure Heinrich Böll. However, her stay is disrupted by the arrival of an academic who imposes not only his opinions but also his very presence upon her. The third story, Antarctica, is dedicated to a married woman who leaves the city with a clear goal: to find out what it’s like to sleep with another man. Plans do not unfold as she imagined, and she ends up in the grip of a possessive stranger. Each story follows a different fate, yet they all share the theme of distorted relationships and the exploration of what creates barriers between women and men, whether it be a lack of generosity, the weight of expectations, or the presence of looming violence. At first glance, these unassuming stories are deep, powerful, and will linger with readers long after they turn the last page.