Daily Bookshot: Turquoise & Blue

Turquoise & Blue, originally uploaded by Robert Burdock.

There’s only one thing I like more than receiving short collections, and that’s receiving short story collections that offer something a little different from the norm (whatever the definition of ‘norm’ may be). Here’s two for today’s Daily Bookshot; one published by Saqi and the other by Telegram.

The first is a collection from Pakistani writer Aamer Hussein entitled, Turquoise (Saqi Books). Despite being an avid short story fan I’ve never read any of Hussein’s work, which is surprising because Hussein is revered by many as being one of the greatest short story writers alive today. To date he’s published five collections including this one which was first published in 2002.

Cultural exploration is of huge importance to me in my reading, as is the need to read stories which are both memorable and moving. Thankfully the blurb for Turquoise holds promise that both of these prerequisites will be met:

Direct and startlingly intimate, Hussein’s stories are set in troubled times – in Karachi, Lahore and London – amid war, partition and military rule, the anticipation and anxiety of changing homes or cities, the mixed blessings of family life, the hopes and failures of love and work. Turquoise illuminates the passions and fears of a world more complex and more beautiful than the media images of Islam and Pakistan convey.

The second collection, The Blue (Telegram Books) is by Maggie Gee, the industrious novelist. I’ve never had the pleasure of reading the short stories of this writer either. But to be fair The Blue is Gee’s debut collection of short stories, so the opportunity to read her may not have arisen quite as readily, as with say Hussein.

A debut collection it may be but Gee’s The Blue seems to offer just as much depth and diversity as Hussein’s does:

The people in The Blue try and often fail to understand the world, freeing themselves by small acts of courage, love or folly. A journalist decides to convert an evangelist in mid-air; a solicitor gives up his day job to help young artists; a Middle Eastern woman shocks her children as she walks through the heat towards the sea; a man, in a moment of madness, cuts down his neighbour’s tree

These subtle fables of everyday life are set against an intricate global backdrop where life is harder for outsiders. Exquisitely written and aerated by comedy, they show human beings who struggle to live good lives.

So that’s a brief rundown on these two very different, but very intriguing story collections. It’s too soon to give you anything more of a personal opinion on either of them until I’ve read them. But the prospect of the reading journey that lies ahead with regards to these two books, is nothing short of thrilling.

So what about you my fellow readers. Have you ever had the pleasure (or displeasure) of reading the short stories of either of these writers?