“The Suitcase” exemplifies the central themes that make this collection of short stories an interesting and entertaining read. Overall, I found that the collection was well-written in presenting a spectrum of human experiences, with the author drawing vividly on episodes, usually tragic or traumatic, from across the lifespan. The author also explores the deceptive nature Read More
If you are looking for fiction that intertwines realism and the uncanny then The House at at the Edge of the World by Julia Rochester is the right novel for you, portraying as it does, adulthood from a different perspective, and one that evokes nostalgia by examining the changes and evolution of a child’s vision Read More
Comma Press is one of the better known small publishing houses that has built its reputation as much upon a backlist of work in translation as in English. Comma’s many anthologies, short story collections and novels by writers from Britain, from across the Channel and further afield are waking us up to the richness and Read More
Where love begins is Judith Hermann’s second work of fiction. It follows her 2009 success Alice; a collection of five interconnected short stories. Herman’s new novel follows a similar framework to her previous fiction, allowing her readers snapshots into her protagonist’s domestic lifestyle. Stella’s life in a German suburb is monotonous. Her days are preoccupied Read More
It is human nature to be attracted to that which we feel we can relate to, things that resonate within us. And perhaps that is why as a debut novel, The Good Guy, is such a memorable first impression. Inspired by her own experience, Susan Beale offers a compelling insight into the classic tale: the Read More
Rose Tremain’s masterful, melancholic and ambitious novel is brimful of the sights and smells of post-war Switzerland, leaving little to the imagination. Dispelling myths of serene neutrality, her book leads us though a winding path of uncertainty and angst, where “neutrality” is replaced with thorny indifference and there is little grey area between friendship and servitude. In this tantalising tale of adolescence, we follow Gustav Perle on his struggle of discovery. There are few heart-warming moments Read More
My Name is Leon is Kit de Waal’s first published novel. Her short fiction has achieved success in the Bridport, Costa and Bath short story awards. A long career working with children in care made the subject matter a natural choice. Carol has given birth to a baby brother for Leon. Baby Jake is white Read More
A sleepy Essex village is roused to a simmering hysteria as rumours that a monstrous 17th century winged sea serpent has returned, causing an oppressive pall of paranoia to descend on those who live by the banks of the Blackwater. The local vicar, educated and thoroughly modern, battles the rising superstitions of the villagers, a Read More
Stories have the power to entrance and captivate, giving them the ability to teach, comfort and even inspire the reader or listener. In The Words in My Hand, Guinevere Glasfurd explores the impact of words and writing in the life of Helena Jans, René Descartes’s maid and also mother to his illegitimate child. Helena was Read More