Faber has announced Openings by Lucy Caldwell, a powerful new collection from the acclaimed, prize-winning author of Multitudes and Intimacies, and winner of the BBC National Short Story Award 2021.

Publishing Director Angus Cargill bought World All Languages from Peter Straus at RCW. Publication is scheduled for 16 May 2024, when Faber will also publish a special exclusive edition for No Alibis bookshop in Belfast.

From a passionate affair in Blitz-era London, to a highly charged Christmas party in Belfast, to a trip to Marrakech which could form a new family, the thirteen striking stories of Openings pulse with possibility and illuminate those fleeting but recognisable moments of heartbreak and hope that can change the course of a life. In this much-anticipated third collection, Caldwell continues her exploration of the contemporary female experience, as she delves deeper into motherhood and marriage, love and longing.

Cargill said: ‘Lucy has had a really exciting couple of years, as her writing just goes from strength to strength. With Openings she has once again delivered a beautifully crafted collection of stories – continuing and developing the themes of her two previous collections. She has hit such a rich seam, which readers will love and cherish.’

Caldwell said: ‘I think the short story is the most magical of forms. Reading and teaching stories, and deepening my own practice, has been central to my life for the past couple of years with my masterclass series at the Faber Academy. It continues to be one of the great privileges of my writing life to work closely with Angus, and it’s a dream to be publishing a third collection with Faber.’