Latest Previews (Forethoughts)
Forethoughts: Dark Lies the Island by Kevin Barry
It’s been five years since his debut collection came out and now, finally, Kevin Barry’s got a new one to get excited about. Needless to say I’m wagging my tail even before reading it. Drop in and find out why.
Forethoughts: This Isn’t The Sort Of Thing That Happens To Someone Like You by Jon McGregor
Jon McGregor has finally got a collection of short stories published. This is that collection and I’m about to read it. What’s in store? Pop in and find out.
Latest Reviews (Afterthoughts)
Afterthoughts: Dark Lies the Island by Kevin Barry
Reading Dark Lies the Island has reinforced my belief that Kevin Barry is one of the greatest short story writers living today. If you’re looking for a definitive lesson in the art of short story telling, then this is it.
Afterthoughts: Various Authors
With this being a debut anthology from a new publisher I didn’t expect it to be anything more than an average publication. I was however quite taken aback. Various Authors turned out to be surprisingly mature and refreshingly entertaining.
Individual Short Story Reviews
Short Story Review – Young Blood by Jordan Taylor
A short story from the trenches of World War One. It’s rather generic, but not badly written.
Short Story Review: The Klinefelter’s Adventures: Chromosome of Havoc by Rachael Withers
This story is a bit of a novelty in that it’s presented in a non-linear ‘choose your own path’ kind of way, reminiscent of the adventure gamebooks of the 1980s. It’s a story that requires multiple rereads in order to get it, but it is worth the effort if one has the patience.
Short Story Review: National Gallery by Peter Winder
This is a great story from London-born Peter Winder, and mainly because he captures the ‘voice’ of the protagonist – the narrator of the story – so well.
Short Story Review: Baking Blind by Melanie Whipman
This is exactly what a short story should be – clear, precise and affecting. There are fleeting moments of tenderness in Baking Blind but the overall tone is one of sadness and despair; a feeling that becomes all the more apparent when one sits and reflects on the story afterwards.
Short Story Review: Brown Bag by Safia Shah
A short and sharp and very English story from Casablanca-based Safia Shah, that captures something of the zeitgeist of our modern, Internet-focused age. The storytelling is adequate throughout, but the real triumph comes right at the end, where it’s sudden and completely unexpected.
Short story review: Berlin Arkonaplatz – My Lesbian Summer by Kevin Barry
I found this story to be odd and a little nauseating and I question whether it really has a place in this collection. It’s certainly readable, but perhaps only by those who aren’t easily offended.
Short Story Review: The Last Fare by Philip St John
This is standard storytelling fare from Irish author St. John. Nothing extraordinary perhaps, but a good story well told.
Short Story Review: Dark Lies the Island by Kevin Barry
This is a sad and desperate tale from Barry. There are no laughs as one might expect, but in the space of one short story Barry shows that he can turn his pen just as deftly to the darker and more affecting side of fiction writing.
Short Fiction News
All-female shortlist unveiled for 2012 Edge Hill Short Story Prize
For the first time in its six year history, the only award in the UK which recognises UK short story collections, has revealed a shortlist that is exclusively dominated by women authors.
Judges announce 2012 Caine Prize shortlist
The shortlist for the 13th edition of the Caine Prize has been announced, prompting judge Bernardine Evaristo to declare the selection “truly diverse fiction from a truly diverse continent.”
Read Alex Burrett’s new short story collection ‘A Damaged Boy’ for FREE (for a week, anyway)
It gives me great pleasure and much excitement to announce to you that Alex Burrett has (finally) published a new short story collection, called A Damaged Boy. And thanks to the generosity of the author you can download a FREE copy of the book over the next week (until Sunday 29th April), from the Smashwords [...]
Frank O’Connor International Short Story Award 2012 longlist
The nominees for this year’s Frank O’Connor International Short Story Award have been announced, revealing a record breaking longlist of 77 short story collections from 17 different countries. Despite a €10,000 drop in the overall winner’s prize purse this year (down from €35,000 to €25,000), the Frank O’Connor International Short Story Award remains one of [...]
Short Fiction Feature
Adopting new system for reading short stories, and an outrageously ambitious reading project
I need to find a faster way to work through short collections and anthologies, and I think I have. And to test to see if my new system works, I’m setting myself the goal of reading the entire 2012 Frank O’Connor International Short Story Award longlist (77 titles), in a year.
If you only read one short story this week…
…then please make sure it’s one from Bloomsbury’s ‘Year of the Short Story’ Sampler, created to give a taste of each of the five collections that they are publishing during the first five months of 2012, in celebration of their ‘Year of the Short Story’.
Reading the short story: my most valuable tip
I long ago dropped the discipline of only reading 2 short stories a day, but there’s one reading rule for short stories that will live with me until the day I die. It’s the most valuable ‘weapon’ in my short story reading arsenal, and I’m going to share it with you.
Discussing The Guardian’s ‘Twelve Tales of Christmas’
The Guardian kicks off it ‘Twelve Tales for Christmas’ series, and I take at look at the first offering, from one of my favourite short story writers (and many other people’s), Anton Chekhov.
If I had to pick a favourite literary form then short fiction would undoubtedly be the one. I love its scope, its variety, and I love that it can consumed in a single effortless 'bite'. Short fiction is revered here at RobAroundBooks, in all of its forms. From the memorable shorts of the classic authors to the genius snappy creations of the modern story tellers, all are represented on RobAroundBooks, and very much loved.
