"Beautifully written stories of gentle, quiet moments and their impact This is a book of a series of short stories which interweave and interconnect to make a bigger whole. "
Beautifully written stories of gentle, quiet moments and their impact This is a book of a series of short stories which interweave and interconnect to make a bigger whole. They have intriguing titles such as The train between names; The map of unsaid things; and A room painted the colour of leaving. The stories are descriptive, quiet and gentle. They are about a number of people, in a range of places. None of them is in their original country. All of them are somewhere else, seeking something else, even if they aren’t sure what it is. Each person and place is described briefly and yet enough to give a full idea of them. It’s the quiet moments between them that are the focus, the heart of the stories and the overall story. We see a single story from the perspective of both people in the encounter. Unnamed characters reappear from one story in a later one. It’s about those quiet, brief connections and the impact they can have on those involved. It’s about those connections that don’t lead to lifelong relationships of any kind, but can still have a lasting impact. All of the characters stay in a place when leaving would be easier or perhaps safer. They create a new life for themselves, not by bringing their old one with them, or simply fitting in to the new country. They do it by finding a way to belong. Gradually we see and feel the overall impact of all of this.
Sarah Webb, A LoveReading Ambassador
| Primary Genre | Indie Author Books |
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Some people leave quietly. Others leave because staying has begun to feel impossible. Across cities and fleeting moments, strangers make small decisions that change the direction of their lives. In Lisbon, a woman steps off a plane and realizes she has no language for who she is becoming. In Vancouver, a young man loses something irreplaceable at an airport and must learn what cannot be taken from him. Elsewhere, strangers stand at smaller thresholds — between cities, relationships, expectations, and versions of themselves. The Door You Hold Open is a contemporary literary short story collection about leaving, belonging, memory, and the quiet courage required to begin again. Each story follows an ordinary person at the edge of change, navigating the unseen moments that quietly reshape a life. These are stories of subtle resilience rather than spectacle — of kindnesses that linger, conversations that alter direction, and the fragile hope found in choosing to move forward. For readers who love reflective, character-driven fiction and stories that stay with them long after the final page.
The Door You Hold Open: Stories of Leaving, Becoming, and the Quiet Moments Between features in the following genres: Indie Author Books, Indie Books We Love, Literary Fiction
The Door You Hold Open: Stories of Leaving, Becoming, and the Quiet Moments Between is available in Paperback
The Door You Hold Open: Stories of Leaving, Becoming, and the Quiet Moments Between was written by A. Lumen and published by Independently published
