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Deliverywoman: Stories
Deliverywoman is the stunning debut collection from Eva Wyles – thirteen short stories that dive into the complexities of human connection, the pursuit of meaning, and modern-day loneliness.
Across a diverse cast of characters – from teachers and gas station workers to hedonistic revellers and wealthy gamers – Wyles explores the strange dimensions of our world and the dangers of ordinary life, with needle-sharp writing both real and surreal.
Deliverywoman sits alongside A.M.Homes’ The Safety of Objects and Ottessa Moshfegh’s Homesick for Another World, announcing the arrival of a powerful new voice in contemporary fiction.
Across a diverse cast of characters – from teachers and gas station workers to hedonistic revellers and wealthy gamers – Wyles explores the strange dimensions of our world and the dangers of ordinary life, with needle-sharp writing both real and surreal.
Deliverywoman sits alongside A.M.Homes’ The Safety of Objects and Ottessa Moshfegh’s Homesick for Another World, announcing the arrival of a powerful new voice in contemporary fiction.
- GenresShort Stories
Paperback
Published April 1, 2025
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252 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
April 24, 2025
Eva Eva, first time reading published stories written by a dear friend and what a lovely experience it was. Familiar in so many ways, but also took me to completely new places! Everyone go read it!
August 27, 2025
Really enjoyed this!
August 8, 2025
Absolutely savoured this book. Gentle but also kinda devastating. The characters are vivid and believable within just a few pages. We did this for bookclub in the park and didn’t stop talking about it until it got dark.
April 17, 2025
Well for the first time ever I am reviewing a free Advanced Reader Copy (woop woop!!) from Influx Press in return for an honest review!
I have a bit of a love-hate relationship with short story collections. Sometimes they really work, sometimes they're awful. Thankfully this collection by Eva Wyles was in the former category. There were some real gems in here, the titular Deliverywoman, Good Boy, Bad Kid, Simon Eagle and Dave being stand out stories for me. I liked how the characters were often "off" as in messy, unpredictable, judgmental, much like us real life humans! For short stories, they all had a great story arc and narrative, with Wyles really managing to get into the bones of a relationship within a limited amount of pages.
The only gripes I do have and that drops the collection from a 5 to a 4 star is :-
a) the animal cruelty (Callum the rabbit, just no and the kitten, no, just no)
b) Wyles can't write sex scenes/thoughts for shit! :-
This for example of two gay guys f**king in a bathroom "When I took him to the bathroom, it felt like I was taking his virginity. I liked the way his small bottom hung in the air, waiting for me......" WTAF?!! Where did you conjure that line up from?!
And this line from a girl thinking about f**king a guy but remembering her ex-girlfriend "I thought maybe I could sleep with him, that maybe his penis might not be as tan as the rest of him, but it could be an advantageous way of getting over the ex-girlfriend, to have sex with something that she would never be able to give me, but then I realised I don't like penises, only the plastic kind strapped to a thrumming vagina......." ERM!!!! Thrumming vagina?? O-kayyyyyyy!
Apart from these two issues, the collection was really good and one I'll likely return to in the future.
I have a bit of a love-hate relationship with short story collections. Sometimes they really work, sometimes they're awful. Thankfully this collection by Eva Wyles was in the former category. There were some real gems in here, the titular Deliverywoman, Good Boy, Bad Kid, Simon Eagle and Dave being stand out stories for me. I liked how the characters were often "off" as in messy, unpredictable, judgmental, much like us real life humans! For short stories, they all had a great story arc and narrative, with Wyles really managing to get into the bones of a relationship within a limited amount of pages.
The only gripes I do have and that drops the collection from a 5 to a 4 star is :-
a) the animal cruelty (Callum the rabbit, just no and the kitten, no, just no)
b) Wyles can't write sex scenes/thoughts for shit! :-
This for example of two gay guys f**king in a bathroom "When I took him to the bathroom, it felt like I was taking his virginity. I liked the way his small bottom hung in the air, waiting for me......" WTAF?!! Where did you conjure that line up from?!
And this line from a girl thinking about f**king a guy but remembering her ex-girlfriend "I thought maybe I could sleep with him, that maybe his penis might not be as tan as the rest of him, but it could be an advantageous way of getting over the ex-girlfriend, to have sex with something that she would never be able to give me, but then I realised I don't like penises, only the plastic kind strapped to a thrumming vagina......." ERM!!!! Thrumming vagina?? O-kayyyyyyy!
Apart from these two issues, the collection was really good and one I'll likely return to in the future.
October 13, 2025
“So, sorry”, “It waits” and “Deliverywoman” really blew my mind.
June 8, 2025
Eva Wyles! What a special and poignant collection of stories. A must read - Eva’s characters and the worlds she drops you into stay with you long after you’ve finished 💖💖💖
August 31, 2025
This is a well written collection of stories with lots of different settings, mostly realistic but some speculative, which knit together through themes of loneliness, emptiness, hope and humanity.
The characters are all different, too, but with a shared solitariness at their core. They are believable and sympathetic, even though we might question the advisability or kindness of their actions.
The setups are well done, as are dialogue and what little action there is. I may be missing things, but I feel that Wyles’ weakness is with endings. I’m all for some open endings, but none of these tie up at all.
The prose is taut and feels clean, but lots of imaginative imagery is snuck in under the apparent straightforwardness. I am certainly very glad that I read this collection.
The characters are all different, too, but with a shared solitariness at their core. They are believable and sympathetic, even though we might question the advisability or kindness of their actions.
The setups are well done, as are dialogue and what little action there is. I may be missing things, but I feel that Wyles’ weakness is with endings. I’m all for some open endings, but none of these tie up at all.
The prose is taut and feels clean, but lots of imaginative imagery is snuck in under the apparent straightforwardness. I am certainly very glad that I read this collection.
November 1, 2025
With a collection of short stories there are always ones that will stick with you more and for me the standout stories were Twinning and Deliverywoman.
All of the stories touch on modern loneliness, society, and human connection - a reminder of alternate realities of lives depending on class, jobs, and family.
Twinning was so clever and witty with such an interesting story that I think would have made a great film - with rich people playing a game of ‘Separated Twins’ where they have to bring together twins separated at birth who are on separate levels of the wealth divide.
The title story, Deliverywoman, had really sad undertones and shows a post-pandemic world where people live at work and don’t go outside or have human contact. I really enjoyed this one and could have happily read a novel about it.
The stories are all short and sweet, with elements that make them so raw and real that it felt familiar but so new and original.
All of the stories touch on modern loneliness, society, and human connection - a reminder of alternate realities of lives depending on class, jobs, and family.
Twinning was so clever and witty with such an interesting story that I think would have made a great film - with rich people playing a game of ‘Separated Twins’ where they have to bring together twins separated at birth who are on separate levels of the wealth divide.
The title story, Deliverywoman, had really sad undertones and shows a post-pandemic world where people live at work and don’t go outside or have human contact. I really enjoyed this one and could have happily read a novel about it.
The stories are all short and sweet, with elements that make them so raw and real that it felt familiar but so new and original.
June 11, 2025
Deliverywoman is brilliant. The stories observe with insight how small moments can be momentous. They are sometimes gentle or dream-like, other times raw and disturbingly real. Each story is standalone and each is a totally satisfying read. I could really relate to her characters as they struggle with difficult times – not always with dignity but eventually with some sense of hope. I’ve read several stories more than once and fresh layers kept emerging.
December 8, 2025
reading this felt like looking around at everyone on the train and wondering who those people are, in every sense, and finally being able to know:,) this book reminded me why reading is so important to me, to feel a greater understanding and connection to the endless ways people and their lives differ from one another but ultimately experience the same grief, vulnerability, loneliness, and joy. beautiful book to read in the depths of autumn/winter!!
August 27, 2025
Impressive debut collection of short stories
Standouts for me were ‘Deliverywoman’ and ‘Good Boy’, however I enjoyed all of the stories because they each had a unique voice, yet linked themes of loneliness and the mundane in a subtle way. Very skilled writing to be able to capture this level depth and complexity of human emotion in such short stories - would recommend :))
Standouts for me were ‘Deliverywoman’ and ‘Good Boy’, however I enjoyed all of the stories because they each had a unique voice, yet linked themes of loneliness and the mundane in a subtle way. Very skilled writing to be able to capture this level depth and complexity of human emotion in such short stories - would recommend :))
May 9, 2025
Bold, brilliant, and urgent — Deliverywomen by Eva Wyles exposes ideas of love, pain, the real and the imagined. I could not keep my eyes off it. Stories linger in my mind for days after. Truly a masterpiece.
June 18, 2025
Because each chapter is told from the viewpoint of a completely new individual, it kept this read dynamic and engaging. The author's narrative voice is captivating, adding depth to each perspective and highlighting the unique journey that every human goes on.
May 9, 2025
Best book for feeling lonely in busy places
May 26, 2025
3.25.
Lots of snippets of the mundane and average without being such. Some real standouts (twinning, deliverywoman) but an enjoyable enough reading experience.
Lots of snippets of the mundane and average without being such. Some real standouts (twinning, deliverywoman) but an enjoyable enough reading experience.
September 1, 2025
This is the most delightful series of short stories. Thank you Eva for writing a book that is impossible to put down!
May 31, 2025
Really enjoyable. This broke my streak of picking up books I didn't want to finish. Since recommended to a few friends all of whom have enjoyed it
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews