Sunday Salon: BBC National Short Story Award 2009
Having finished going through my proofs (yeay!), I have just finished reading last year's BBC National Short story award shortlist. I like these little books - just the right size to carry around, and a highly satisfying reading experience too.
Naomi Alderman's was a comic anecdotal tale about a Jewish man who becomes obsessed with an idol; Kate Clanchy's was a very unusual and thought-provoking story about a child undergoing life-saving medical treatment; Sara Maitland's was about the meeting of a moss-witch and a scientist (original and also rather haunting); Jane Roger's was about a woman with dementia, somehow making the woman's actions plausible and entirely logical (I really loved this one - particularly the way it drew me in) and Lionel Shriver's was another comic tale, again about a child and a parent, and managed to do that rare thing - make me laugh out loud as I read.
Naomi Alderman's was a comic anecdotal tale about a Jewish man who becomes obsessed with an idol; Kate Clanchy's was a very unusual and thought-provoking story about a child undergoing life-saving medical treatment; Sara Maitland's was about the meeting of a moss-witch and a scientist (original and also rather haunting); Jane Roger's was about a woman with dementia, somehow making the woman's actions plausible and entirely logical (I really loved this one - particularly the way it drew me in) and Lionel Shriver's was another comic tale, again about a child and a parent, and managed to do that rare thing - make me laugh out loud as I read.
posted by Clare Dudman at 2:53 pm
2 Comments:
Thanks for the mention of these collections. I'm still finding short stories hit and miss, but mixed author collections are going down well. I'm still making my way through the Ox-Tales that I heard about from you.
Yes, 'hit and miss' sums them up, really. The 'hits' stay with me such a long time though that I think it's worth risking a few misses to get to them.
Post a Comment
Comments are subject to moderation.
<< Home