Milk and Other Stories

These 14 stories from Danish author Fruelund are a kaleidoscope of fleeting moments from ordinary lives, rendered profound by what we cannot see just beyond the frame. No more than four to seven pages each, every story is characterized by a tension or emotion about to brim over, whether it’s a curiosity being tested or a secret kept from a lover, son, neighbor, or friend. In “Crossing,” a casual conversation about stepping into someone else’s shoes causes Sophus to make a decision on impulse; in “Kramer,” an elderly neighbor’s perverse act before dying is a memory that refuses to be forgotten; and in the title story, a tanker truck full of milk spills on the highway and gives Olaf an unexpected moment of serenity. This consistently beautiful book has a quietness that recalls the stark Danish countryside, the stories’ primary setting. In the most memorable vignettes, Freulund’s short bursts of sentences express inner turmoil so nuanced as to be incognito. The themes of infidelity and jealousy can become repetitive, but there is no shortage of moments to savor in this haunting collection. (Oct.)