Short Stories

Cover image for Five Tuesdays in Winter by Lily King

Five Tuesdays in Winter by Lily King: Astute observation plus a few dark surprises

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I was delighted to spot Lily King’s Five Tuesdays in Winter on Twitter having enjoyed both Writers & Lovers and Father of the Rain. It’s her first short story collection, comprising ten pieces many of which explore themes of love, relationships and parenthood, some with a darker edge than I remember from her novels. He […]

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Cover image for Things We Do Not Tell the People We Love by Huma Qureshi

Things We Do Not Tell the People We Love by Huma Qureshi: A quietly accomplished collection

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I take occasional digs on here at the hype which pervades Twitter where every book is super fabulous but it has to be said I’m often grateful when a book is flagged I might have otherwise missed. Huma Qureshi’s Things We Do Not Tell the People We Love is a case in point. Comprising nine

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Cover image for Tunnelling to the Centre of the Earth by Kevin Wilson

Tunneling to the Centre of the Earth by Kevin Wilson: ‘I don’t think I belong here’  

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I spotted Kevin Wilson’s Tunneling to the Centre of the Earth on Netgalley, reminding me of how much I enjoyed his novel, Nothing to See Here. It’s a new edition of his first short story collection comprising eleven pieces. Knowing that many of them were written when Wilson was a student, my expectations weren’t particularly

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Cover image for The Office of Historical Corrections by Danielle Evans

The Office of Historical Corrections by Danielle Evans: ‘The past isn’t dead. It isn’t even past’

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I’d not read anything by Danielle Evans before The Office of Historical Corrections turned up, although the title of her prize-winning, Before You Suffocate your Own Fool Self, had caught my eye. This second collection comprises seven stories, one lengthy enough to qualify as a novella, which explore racism in America and its complicated history.

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Cover image for London Under Snow by Jordi llavina

London under Snow by Jordi Llavina (transl. Douglas Suttle): Wintery Catalonian tales

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Recently launched, Fum D’Estampa Press is a small publisher dedicated to introducing Catalonian literature to English-speaking readers. A little niche you might think but if Jordi Llavina’s London Under Snow is anything to go by, worth seeking out. I was attracted to Llavina’s collection partly thanks to enjoying a short story roll after reading Dierdre

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Dancers on the Shore by William Melvin Kelley: More, please

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Originally published in I964, William Melvin Kelley’s Dancers on the Shore comprises sixteen stories some of which recall the characters who brought his striking novel A Different Drummer so vividly to life. Its title refers to a lengthy quote from Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness setting the tone for a thought-provoking read. Several of the

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