The Fiction Shelf

This short fiction is poetic and tactile; the characters and backdrop are very real. These things combine so that the story about a Moldovan family, struggling in Stalin’s Siberian work camp, remains tough, emotional and always engaging.

In this short, unconventional family drama, the writer accurately captures the stress of managing an ensemble cast in a crowded relationship. When it gets too much, the hapless Eric must leave. But running away means leaving everything.

A darkly brooding, disturbing story that turns the tables on domestic violence. Strong, simple characters clash in unexpected ways as the author crafts a piece of work that challenges and discomforts.

A short image with an inconsequential end that reflects the futility of the situation. The honest talk reads like an open‐ended discussion on violence and sex. The untempered language tells effectively of an unremarkable happening in an average setting. Effective and brutal.

This story dismisses what we all know and reminds us what loss is. Human, concise and powerful without ever exploiting its inspiration, a tremendous pleasure to read.

There’s a brilliant tension that runs all the way through this short piece and it’s built on engaging characters, clear detail and the clever omission of fact. Everything a very short story should be.

A short, deeply pensive exploration of the self and how an individual perceives it. The prose, complex by their brevity, are steeped with meaning so that the piece feels almost poetic.