Sci Fi, early 1980s, effects of space travel on relative aging

[Ant]

early-mid 80s, single author anthology of short stories/loosely connected chapters. Premise/theme social dislocation/alienation due to space travel/relativity meaning travellers age slower and their friends/family are dead and society has changed profoundly if they return.

Sorry thats all i got but i think about this book often!

[Lily]

The Forever War? I don't know if this is necessarily short stories that are loosely connected, but it's got the rest of what you're looking for. Even if it's not the right one I'd highly recommend reading it!

[Justanotherbiblophile]

There are a *pile* of these types of stories. Forever War is highly rated, but is a story about military. There are stories about traders periodically returning to Earth. Some are on circuits of planets (return every couple hundred years). There are one-way journeys: teleport gate creators traveling at relativistic speeds while the culture behind them mutates fast and visits periodically when they drop off new gates. Enderverse (after first novel) could fit this.