Shhh! by Matthew Roy Davey

 

Welcome to the flash fiction library where the shelves are groaning with bitesize fiction.

Libraries are quiet places, ordered places, places of intellect, culture and civilisation. But hiding inside are words that can explode like bombs, words to anger and appal, to titillate and tease, words to amuse and entertain. Which will you choose to read first?

Matthew Roy Davey offers us a wealth of bijou tales in his perfectly formed Shhh!

RRP Paperback £9.00

RRP Kindle £2.25

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A well crafted and conceptualised experience. Troubling and traumatic though it often is.

 

I was eagerly awaiting Davey’s next book, and this brilliant compilation of short stories did not disappoint. A wild array of beautifully realised tales, told in Davey’s own distinctive style. I cannot recommend this book enough!

Davey has transformed the tranquil setting of a library into a playground for explosive storytelling. Each tale, though small in word count, contains wit, surprise, and emotional punch.

The Best of CafeLit 14

 

This year, one of our experienced editors, Amanda Jones, selected the stories. We aimed to find between 3000 and 4000 words for each month. Sometimes we had one long story, other times several shorter ones. As with the e-zine for these, we look for a combination of shorter and longer stories, darker and more humorous ones, a few uplifting tales, and others that make you think, and we also like to showcase a variety of authors, including old friends and newcomers.

Each story in this little volume is the right length and quality for enjoying as you sip the assigned drink in your favourite Creative Café. You need never feel alone again in a café. So what’s the mood today? Espresso? Earl Grey tea? Hot chocolate with marshmallows? You'll find most drinks in our drinks index.

 

RRP paperback £11.00 

Kindle £2.25 

Buy from Amazon   

Buy from us (1-4 books) 

Note, this is an affiliate link and a small portion of what you pay, at no extra cost to you,  may go to Bridge House Publishing.   

 

Buy from us (5+ books)  

 

Contributors: 

Katherine Abbott, Justin Aylward, Michael Barrington, Stephen Bridger, Lynn Clement, Niall  Crowley, Kate Durant, Steve Gerson, Elsie Glassman, Monica Goertzen Hertlein, Sandra Horn, Claire Jaggard, Gill James, Maria Kinnersley, Olaf Laaman, Mike Lee, Henry Lewi, Peter Lingard, Clare Martin, Madelein McDonald, Mia McNamara, Rob Molan, Jane Mooney, Linda Morse, Dana G Nadeau, Hannah Retallick, Judith Skilleter,Sally Storr, Laura Sukonik, Rick Vick,Frank Zahn,

 

At Play and Other Stories by Amita Basu

 

Illness and violence, fair-weather friends and dysfunctional families, trauma and rapid cultural shifts – girls and women in contemporary India deal with the spectrum of life’s challenges and rewards.

These fifteen  stories feature Indian women – and, occasionally, nonhuman females – as they grapple with family and friendship, miscarriages and runaway children, rapid sociocultural shifts, love and sex, work and ambition, physical and mental illness, aging and coming of age, and the struggle to make a living. Several stories feature working-class characters and examine how class shapes our psychological reality. 

 

Amita Basu’s At Play and Other Stories examines the struggles and joys of life for women and girls in contemporary India. 

RRP Paperback £11.00 

Kindle £2.25 

Buy from Amazon 

Note, this is an affiliate link and a small portion of what you pay, at no extra cost to you,  may go to Bridge House Publishing 

Buy from Waterstone's  

Buy from Barnes and Noble (US)  

Buy from Booktopia (Australia)   

 

Buy from us (1-4 books)

 

 Buy from us  (5+ books) 

 

 

'Told in prose that’s whimsical and sincere, the language is vivid and visual, filled with a poetry of description. The narrators in the stories vary between men and women, young and old, and one story that’s even told from the perspective of a dog. The narratives peel back the layers of surface-level normality to reveal the hidden thoughts and impulses that drive the characters—sometimes impulses they act upon, and sometimes ones they ignore. '

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Diverse stories reflecting issues & psyche of a young, modern India. Interesting, worth a read

 

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this bouquet of 15 contemporary Indian short stories, one of them being 'At Play', revolving around Indian women. A fresh, curious, intriguing and poignant point of view. The language is approachable, with the author experimenting with different narrative styles of narrative I would certainly recommend this to both new and experienced readers. Ciao!