Afterthoughts: Little Roasts: A Collection of Stories

In a Nutshell: Although none of the four short stories presented in this anthology share a common theme, all have been well considered, making this collection fit the purpose for which the publisher intended i.e. a ‘great little read’, and one which can be digested in a single sitting.

I’ve spoken about the covers for these books from UK publisher Roastbooks in a recent ‘Cover Love’ feature, and after taking a snapshot of the two I ordered, I managed to fit in the couple of hours needed to work my way through the one which I was most intrigued by – Little Roasts (a four ‘course’ anthology of short stories). With the that job done I thought I’d share my ‘afterthoughts’ on what I really thought of this dinky little collection.

As each of the stories within this anthology are separate entities, I thought it better to rate each story individually, and end with a brief comment on the collection as a whole. So, in the order they are presented:

Brian, McMurphy & Sally Too by Rowena Macdonald – The first short presented in this collection is not only the longest, it’s also the best. Set in Montreal the story follows the lives of two artists Brian and McMurphy, who although not tied in any kind of romantic relationship (only one of the pair is homosexual), have built up a perfect partnership both professionally and domestically, with both men working and living together in an almost zen-like state of harmony. Things begin to change however, when the assertive and colourful Sally arrives on the scene, and the omnipresent harmony begins to turn sour.

That’s all I’m really going to say about this story (I’d rather you discovered it for yourself), other than to re-affirm just how good it is. The plot is really well considered and characters are great. Macdonald has really taken the adage of ‘three being a crowd’ here, and turned it into one fine story. Rating: 4.5 out of 5

A Sop of all this Solid Globe by Keith Scales – The second short in the collection centres around the visit of an English Shakespearean professor to a small town in America, where one can tell there is little interest for Shakespeare, or his evangelising professor. What little interest there is comes mainly from the overly enthusiastic teacher who arranged the professor’s visit – Miss Pettygrove, who is decidedly beside herself with excitement at the professor’s visit. And it is this juxtaposition between Miss Pettygrove and the assembled audience (consisting mainly of lethargic, underwhelmed students), that is the story’s real highlight for me. Definately not the strongest short in the collection in my opinion, but one that’s still well worthy of inclusion. Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Circling by Mark Kotting – This is the third short in the collection and it’s a delightful little read. The story offers a brief snapshot into the life of a London taxi driver; so brief that the story only centres around one shift. The narrative has a nice flow to it, and it’s written in such a knowledgeable way that I quickly formed the impression that the author must have had some experience in the taxi business. I wasn’t wrong. I checked Kotting’s bio and he’s noted as being a London cabbie.

What I love most about this story though, aside from some great metaphors i.e. comparing his roaming around in the taxi as being like a ‘shark circling’, is the succinct way in which Kotting describes most of the passengers who enter his cab during this one shift. It goes a little something like this:

“Strand to Leicester Square an old man. Small, bald, with not many summers left. Brassy buttons a wife a bag held tightly to his chest, we talk, sometimes I do, sometimes I don’t…”

That’s beautiful, and in London especially one would imagine interaction between passengers and cab driver to be fleeting and brief, and using these wonderfully concise vignettes I feel Kotting instills this impression perfectly. I hope to read more from this writer in the future. Rating: 4 out of 5

Rudimentary Mathematician by Nikhil Pandhi – I think the most accurate way to sum up the fourth and final story in this collection (a story so short it probably falls into the category of ‘flash fiction’), is to call it ‘enigmatic eloquence’. The story is such that one is left to ponder what exactly is going on (aside from the main character’s profession), but at the same time one is truly touched by Pandhi’s beautifully poetic prose. For example – ‘He demurely counted the flames of that pathetically irritable inferno that had just about succeeded in engulfing the vicinity like slow venom’ – a little wordy maybe, but oh so breathtaking! Rating: 3 out of 5

So that’s a quick rundown on the quartet of stories that make up this little collection. As a whole I’ve got to say that I think the stories have all been well considered, and although none of the four share any semblance of a common theme, this is still a nicely put together collection – perfect for the purpose that Roastbooks have envisaged for all of their books i.e. to be read and enjoyed in a single sitting. I only hope that Roastbooks have more editions of Little Roasts slowly cooking in their oven.

Rating:

Roastbooks | 2008 (UK) | £5.95 | PAPERBACK | 60 PP | ISBN 9781852429188

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