A Good Year by Polis Loizou

 

A Good Year

A novella by Polis Loizou

Missing Words by Loree Westron

 

Missing Words

by Loree Westron 

Blue Postcards by Douglas Bruton

 

Blue Postcards 

by Douglas Bruton

A "Fairlight Moderns" novella 

A Year in Reading (and Blogging)

2019: A Year in Reading (and Blogging)

Divine Comedy: "Milton in Purgatory" by Edward Vass

Divine Comedy

A review of "Milton in Purgatory" by Edward Vass

A Fairlight Modern novella

Land of the Disappeared: A review of The Therapist by Nial Giacomelli

The Therapist by Nial Giacomelli

A book review

Despite its virulence, little is known about the disease.  They say that it attacks the brain and spinal column. That victims suffer encephalitis-like reactions. Lethargy, confusion and changes in personality are all common.  The media report cases of grandiose delusions and memory loss.  Some hear voices, other see impossible realities.  All eventually disappear.

First Love: Atlantic Winds by William Prendiville

First Love

A review of William Prendiville's Atlantic Winds

Judging by the quality of this debut novella and Omar Sabbagh’s Minutes from the Miracle City (which I reviewed earlier on this blog), the second wave of “Fairlight Moderns” from Fairlight Books promises to be something to really look forward to.     

Eid in Dubai: "Minutes from the Miracle City" by Omar Sabbagh

Eid in Dubai 

Minutes from the Miracle City by Omar Sabbagh

A book review

Flash review : “Bottled Goods” by Sophie van Llewyn

“Bottled Goods” by Sophie van Llewyn

Bottled Goods has just been longlisted for the 2019 Women’s Prize for Fiction, after having previously been longlisted for the Republic of Consciousness Prize 2019 and nominated for the People’s Book Prize.   Here’s a brief review I had written when I read this “novel-in-flash” last year…

When Liviu's brother defects to the West, he and his wife Alina are hounded by the Romanian Communist authorities. We are in the 1970s, at the height of the Cold War, and not even well-connected Aunt Theresa, who practices the forbidden old folk ways even whilst her son works for the regime, can save Alina and Liviu from the unwelcome attentions of the Secret Police. The constant danger blights a relationship which could, and should, have been a special one.

 
Totalitarian rule casts a shadow on the history of the last century. Bottled Goods is neither the first nor the last novel to be inspired by the horrors of authoritarian governments. What distinguishes this novel from many others is its stylistic and narrative approach. 

It is, first of all, a "novel-in-flash" - written in the form of short interrelated vignettes which can, and in some cases have, been published as standalone pieces. Moreover, the narrative sometimes wanders into the territory of magical realism. These flights of whimsy give the novel a light touch, even whilst it's presenting us with the terror of a communist regime and its tragic impact on ordinary lives. The novel is permeated with a sense of fear and dread, yet the pill is sweetened by the fairytale narrative.

This is an original début from a distinctive literary voice.

Paperback, 176 pages

Published July 11th 2018 by Fairlight Books

http://www.fairlightbooks.co.uk/bottled-goods/