At the Bay by Katherine Mansfield

Set over a single summer day, this story captures the rhythms of family life in a New Zealand seaside town. The plot weaves between characters—women gossiping, children playing, and adults reflecting on their lives—with fluid perspective shifts. While nothing dramatic happens, the emotional undercurrents reveal dissatisfaction, memory, and longing. Mansfield blends natural imagery with psychological subtlety. It’s a luminous meditation on time, identity, and the roles we inhabit.