Taking aspects of memoir and essay, A Real Piece of Work explores the nuances of identity, family, social work, and making sense of yourself and those around you
A remarkable new storytelling voice on the block, Erin Riley takes you from one topic to the next with a warm, trusting hand.
Taking aspects of memoir and essay, A Real Piece of Work explores the nuances of identity, family, social work, and making sense of yourself and those around you. Riley offers distinct insights and reflections across twenty stories, shifting from an early adolescent longing for love, to an intimate recount of their experiences as a social worker, to finding solace in the work of Fiona Wright during COVID lockdowns. Thoroughly researched and charged with heart, Riley places personal experience in conversation with theory in order to offer new ways of interpreting ourselves, and the world we live in.
Through bending the conventions of essay and memoir, A Real Piece of Work encourages readers to share in Riley’s questioning of systems and structures. While exploring issues of a serious and topical nature, the sense of hopefulness found in each story is nothing if not infectious.
- Jamil