This study guide was created using the following version of this book: Ridgeway, Keith. A Shock. New Directions, 2021.

A Shock is comprised of nine interconnected short stories about several friends and acquaintances in London. The collection opens with “The Party” which focuses on a widow who is informed by her neighbors that they are going to have a party. Though her neighbors do not invite the woman, they tell her about the party as a way to prepare for the noise or any other disruptions. The woman contemplates her loneliness after her husband’s death and wonders what is happening in the party. The woman becomes compelled by the shared wall between her and her neighbor’s home, resulting in the woman becoming trapped in the wall.

“The Camera” is the story of Gary and Stan, two friends who have different ideas about how to incite social and political change. They confront politics, race relations, and whether policy or protest is the best way to move forward. Gary longs for a camera. After a conversation with Stan, Gary begins to anonymously send Stan pictures of Stan going about his day.

“The Sweat” focuses on the sexual exploits of Frank and Tommy and their drug use. In “The Joke,” a school library assistant named Maria goes for coffee with Anna, one of the teachers at the school. While having coffee, Anna tells Maria an elaborate story about how her husband died in the middle of hearing a joke. Anna explains that the comedian who told the joke died soon after from feeling guilty that he was somehow responsible for killing Anna’s husband. Maria is later shocked to learn that Anna is a compulsive liar.

In “The Story,” Anna tells the story of a sailor, while Stoker tells the story about a woman who is trapped in a wall and how her story is forgotten. The story is told almost exclusively through dialogue, and the reader is left to discern what is true and what is not.

“The Flat” is about David who moves into a flat where the previous occupants of the flat disappeared. David becomes fixated on finding out what happened to Karl and Peppi, especially after finding pictures of Karl and Peppi in an envelope hidden in the flat.

In “The Pigeon,” a young plumber’s apprentice named Pigeon decides to hide in the attic of a woman. Pigeon and Ronnie have been working in the woman's home. Pigeon contemplates how he got his name and how he believes the woman will just let Pigeon leave in the morning without incident.

In “The Meeting,” many of the characters from the story meet at a pub called The Arms to discuss politics. Harry, the owner of the bar, defends the cleanliness of the bar. Tommy dreams of mice and sees a massive infestation of rodents throughout the bar.

“The Song” is the final story in the collection and returns to the party from the first story. Maria makes her way through the crowded party and while Michael sings a song in French, Maria sees the eye of the woman stuck in the wall.