Lucia spends her days looking after her sister, Elaine, who was struck with polio as a child and is unable to care for herself as she battles lung cancer. As Elaine's condition worsens, Lucia reads memoirs and first-person accounts of the Holocaust, which help her better understand her own position as an unhappy witness to the slow deterioration of a life.

Real Life contains ten perfectly formed stories—singular moments of emotional intensity about the inner lives we all lead. Each story presents the moments of "real life" that all of us experience, stripping away defences to reveal truths of pain, joy, anger, fear, or hope.

HarperCollins brings great works of literature to life in digital format, upholding the highest standards in ebook production and celebrating reading in all its forms. Look for more titles in the HarperCollins short-stories collection to build your digital library.