Used To Be
It’s not often that I get
asked to review a volume of short stories, so I was really pleased when
Elizabeth Baines offered to send me a copy of this one.
One of the most appealing
things about this collection is that, although all the individual stories are
very different and cover different subjects, there is a real unity of theme to
the book.
All the stories look at
alternative explanations and viewpoints on things that have happened or are
happening. They examine the nature of memory, the complexities of
interpretation and the possibilities of alternate reality. The y also put the
microscope on the art of storytelling itself.
A thread that appears and
reappears is the notion that someone dying actually changes everything. In the
author’s words, it is like ‘a hole punched in the universe’. The collection as
a whole has a lot to say about the nature of life and death and everything in
between.
For me there were several
highlights. I loved ‘That Turbulent Stillness’ in which a woman sees herself as
a Bronte heroine, only to discover it’s not all it was cracked up to be. In
‘Clarrie And You’ two sisters spend their entire lives misunderstanding each
other. The reason for this, when it’s revealed, is both small and immeasurably
huge. A very clever story. Another story that particularly resonated was ‘The
Choice Chamber’ which shows a woman contemplating the choices she’s made in her
life, and those she hasn’t made.
All in all, an enjoyable
collection of well-chosen stories with a fascinating linking theme.
Recommended.
Thanks very much to the author
for a review copy of this book.
You can find out more here.
1 comment:
I see that short story collections are becoming more popular again, Helen. Thanks for reviewing this collection - very interesting.
Post a Comment