The motif of the Bird flies all the way through Anna Vaught’s novel, Saving Lucia. It encapsulates in its image a plethora of contradictory notions: freedom and constraint, strength and vulnerability, companionship and loneliness, elation and desolation. The birds that flit in and out of this novel offer both solace and sorrow to the characters
When I was 14, I had this massive crush on my friend Ana from my art class. She was a couple of years older, and as effortlessly cool as I was effortlessly awkward. She lived this bohemian life in a hippieish Parisian flat with her mum and brother (who I also had a massive crush
A short story collection that captivates from the very start, Subjunctive Moods is a spectacular triumph and brilliant example of how setting can really bring a story to life. Menon is no stranger to multi-cultural experiences, and this shines through in her short prose. Each story is crafted to the utmost quality, and we feel
I first discovered the tremendous voice that is Nick Holdstock when I reviewed Unthology 11 (review here) and his story ‘Half‘ – which came kicking and screaming into my world. So, I was delighted to hear that he had a collection coming out from Unthank and was overjoyed when it arrived in the post for
Once upon a time–when dinosaurs roamed the earth and I was still in high school–I had a wonderful English teacher who treated his students as peers and insisted that we all call him by his first name; his enthusiasm for literature and drama was outright contagious. He convinced me to read outside my preferred genres
The Crusades, religious corruption, and complex communities: Wayne Turmel confronts it all in his newest series, The Lucca le Pou Stories, of which the delicately written Acre’s Bastard is the first instalment of the series. In it, we are introduced to the famed city of Acre, to the half-Syrian, half-Frankish orphan Lucca, and his colourful
I loved this book so much it warmed my cockles and chilled my bones all in one go. It made me laugh and cry. I booked marked passages I wanted to quote and ended up with 73 post-it notes sprouting from the wonderful We Live In The Dead End, written by Simon Webster. Loneliness, loss,
At the start of this year I made a commitment to myself that I was going to do more with supporting Independent Publishers and Authors alike. It’s great working for STORGY and getting sent free books for review – but I wanted to do more, so have been making sure I personally purchase a book
Elani has grown up in violence. It surrounds her. It inhabits her father and lives on every face in her neighborhood. But Elani has learned a trick: watching people’s hands. If she carefully observes how someone carries a mug or a phone or a bottle, she can spot that subtle difference between holding and wielding.
