Screams: Shrieks of Horror and Yelps of Pleasure from Modern Life

by Ysenda Maxtone Graham

A gently humorous take on the modern world - from the pitfalls of knicker-envy to the weaponising of email sign-offs

Screams is Ysenda Maxtone Graham's idiosyncratic and gently funny take on the modern world. She pinpoints all those small things that irritate, but which have a disproportionate effect on our wellbeing (for example, agonising waits for HMRC while stuck in a loop playing the Four Seasons; deep-seated recycling fears; friends that gaslight you with too many xxxs) and also takes pleasure in the small victories that bring surprising joy (lunch from leftovers and finding a miraculous parking space against all odds).

145 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 31, 2024

About the author

Ysenda Maxtone Graham was born in 1962 and educated at The King's School, Canterbury and Girton College, Cambridge. She has written widely for many newspapers and magazines, as features writer, book reviewer and columnist. She is the author of The Church Hesitant: A Portrait of the Church of England; The Real Mrs Miniver, which was shortlisted for the Whitbread Biography of the Year Award; and Mr Tibbits's Catholic School. She lives in London with her husband and their three sons.

Reviews

[Chloe Bragança · Rating 3 out of 5]

You know when you pick up a book in a charity shop that’s supposed to be a bit of a giggle about modern life and it’s actually a funny tale on life (eg funny customer experiences)? I bought this at a charity shop really hoping it would be like that and honestly, quite disappointed. Generally speaking, the examples in the book of things that make you scream in exasperation aren’t particularly relatable or funny, reducing enjoyment. And in a lot of cases, the author doesn’t come off as funny, or exasperated, she sounds just a bit bitter about everything (and in some instances, like a Tory who wants to drive her car 5 minutes away and complain that LGBTQ people are fine as long as they’re not forcing it upon her). Kind of tough reading, pushed through.