When did people become embarrassed to sing in public? Was it because of the decline in churchgoing? And yet the television schedule was full of singing contests in which people, however untalented, we...
Vstopila sem v sobo na koncu hodnika, kjer je bila, kot sem pravilno ugotovila, kuhinja. Tudi ta soba je bila polja ljudi in hrupa, a sem lahko razločila marmornate delovne površine, svetleče kremne f...
This was an all too familiar social scenario for me; standing alone, staring into the middle of distance. It was absolutely fine. It was absolutely normal. After the fire, at each new school, I'd trie...
These magazines could tell me which clothes and shoes to wear, how to have my hair styled in order to fit in. They could show me the right kind of makeup to buy and how to apply it. This way, I would...
There was, it seemed, no Eleanor-shaped social hole for me to slot
Then I felt bad. Even alcoholics deserve help, I suppose, although they should get drunk at home, like I do, so that they don’t cause anyone else any trouble. But then, not everyone is as sensible and...
No thank you, I said. I don’t want to accept a drink from you, because then I would be obliged to purchase one for you in return, and I’m afraid I’m simply not interested in spending two drinks’ worth...
If they liked you – and, I remembered, Raymond and I had agreed that we were pals now – then, it seemed, they were prepared to maintain contact, even if you were sad, or upset, or behaving in very cha...
I'd made my legs black, and my hair blonde. I'd lengthened and darkened my eyelashes, dusted a flush of pink onto my cheeks and painted my lips a shade of dark red which was rarely found in nature. I...
I put my hands to my ears, unable to believe what I was hearing. Without exaggeration, it could only be described as the cacophonous din of hell.
I had no idea what it was, but I realized that I'd happily sit here in the warmth with him and watch a golf programme if that was all there was.
I had convinced myself that he was the one, that he would help to make me normal, fix the things that were wrong with my life.
Human mating rituals are un-believably tedious to observe. At least in the animal kingdom you are occasionally treated to a flash of bright feathers or a display of spectacular violence. Hair flicking...
How marvelous to be able to read someone’s skin, to explore the story of his life across his chest, his arms, the softness at the back of his neck.
Es posible que no puedan arreglarlo todo, [...] pero hablar ayuda. Hay más gente con problemas, y entienden lo que es ser infeliz. Compartir tu problema alivia…
Eleanor, you were AWOL from work for three days, Bob was really worried about you, we all were. I got your address from him, I came round to see if you’re OK, and I find you … I find you …’ ‘… prepari...
El mundo estaba lleno de posibilidades infinitas
Did you have a good time on Saturday, then? he asked. I wished it had been between mouthfuls, but it was, in fact, horrifically, during one. Yes, thank you, I said. It was the first time I’ve tried da...
But, by careful observation from the sidelines, I’d worked out that social success is often built on pretending just a little. Popular people sometimes have to laugh at things they don’t find very fun...
As if a silver in the egg-and-spoon race was some sort of compensation for not understanding how to use an apostrophe.