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A review by steph_84
New Australian Fiction 2020 by Rebecca Starford
4.0
It’s interesting that some reviewers describe this collection of stories as really diverse and others as quite “samey”. I can see both perspectives.
The diversity of topics is startling diverse but there’s an undercurrent in each story that’s dark and has intensity, even if the protagonist’s voice is upbeat. At least one I didn’t finish because it was too dark, but on the flipside there were a couple that stuck with me because of their darkness, and others that I felt didn’t say much that was new.
I learnt a lot about writing short stories from this collection, seeing how the authors started the story, revealed information carefully, and painted vibrant pictures, though I agree with the reviewer that there is a definite “literary style” and that a few stories with a twist or a more formal structure would have added something different.
My favourite was probably by Laura McPhee-Browne, about friendship, articulating an experience that can be almost universally understood.
The diversity of topics is startling diverse but there’s an undercurrent in each story that’s dark and has intensity, even if the protagonist’s voice is upbeat. At least one I didn’t finish because it was too dark, but on the flipside there were a couple that stuck with me because of their darkness, and others that I felt didn’t say much that was new.
I learnt a lot about writing short stories from this collection, seeing how the authors started the story, revealed information carefully, and painted vibrant pictures, though I agree with the reviewer that there is a definite “literary style” and that a few stories with a twist or a more formal structure would have added something different.
My favourite was probably by Laura McPhee-Browne, about friendship, articulating an experience that can be almost universally understood.