Hailed by Voici as "a distant descendant of Dorothy Parker," prize-winning Anna Gavalda has caused an international sensation with this dazzling collection of short fiction, selling over 800,000 copies in her native France. With arresting naturalism and a lively variety of perspectives, Gavalda writes simply—and beautifully—of human beings longing to connect. Gavalda, "a gifted literary stylist" (Vogue), has a knack for capturing our inner as well as our outer dialogues with perfect pitch, evoking reflection, pain, and laughter in equal measure. The stories in I Wish Someone Were Waiting for Me Somewhere are as wicked as they are insightful, as stylish as they are sparse, as fiercely unsentimental as they are emotionally wrought.
"A distant descendant of Dorothy Parker."—Voici
"A collection as tender as it is scathing."—Le Monde
"Short stories of genius"—Marie-France
"Gavalda sees through ordinary appearances to people's hidden longings. The characters in I Wish Someone Were Waiting for Me Somewhere...are graced (as is their 31-year-old author) with the Gallic virtues of dry wit and almost involuntary elegance...crystalline portraits of diverse human types, united in their solitude, fear of death, and search for love."—Vogue
"[Gavalda] has the murderous eye for detail of a fencer attacking the heart. And a scalpel's precision."—L'Événement du Jeudi
"This collection of short stories is a pure diamond. Cutting humor...revealing an inner truth which makes them suddenly essential. What makes Gavalda so good is that she writes with both feet planted firmly in reality and yet hers is a sideways, caustic look at things."—Le Soir
"Punchy, witty writing delivered with a straight face and heavy heart so that the ephemeral becomes unforgettable and the reader is knocked sideways."—Télérama
"You can't help falling in love with these short stories. Each is more lively, bold, acerbic, and witty than the last."—L'Humanité
"12 jaunty short stories about heartache and love by a young prize-winning French writer...entertaining."—Publishers Weekly
