Having previously enjoyed Danny's novel Scratch (review here) I was keen to read this short story collection. The fact that it was available as a freebie was just a bonus!This is a book containing 12 short stories, with crime and the darker side of life a regular component. Some, like Awake are quite poignant. That is the story of a man whose wife has just died, and his observations about the people in their life as they attend her wake. There are also tales of addition and mental illness. It's Not About You is told largely from the point of view of a twelve year old, and is a sad story of the violence between his parents. Telling the story from a child's perspective gave it a greater impact for me.
However Danny often writes stories with a dark, humorous edge which was evident in stories like Stalk and Cheese, where there are plenty of candidates for the role of Colette's stalker. Slightly different from the other stories is What Gives, a dystopian story where a research assistance tries to figure out how to get people to start giving to charity again.
This is very good collection of stories about the grittier side of life. I particularly enjoy the myriad small observations that I found myself agreeing with, on topics that have never really crossed my mind before. The language may be a bit strong for some in places but as in Scratch it seems to fit with the characters being portrayed so it didn't bother me.
The book is presently available for free on Amazon and Smashwords, so grab a copy while you can and if you enjoy it support the author by buying his novels.
Format: Kindle, review copy
My Rating: 4*
1 comment:
Many thanks for the review, TC. Really chuffed you enjoyed it.
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