Shortlisted for the 2016 Edge Hill Short Story Prize
A girl repeatedly chops her boyfriend in half but, while her 'other half' multiplies, she is still not satisfied. Love transforms a mother working down the chippie - into Elvis. Clary's father puts antlers on stuffed rabbits to make jackalopes, but when her mother walks out on them, Clary has to help her father if they are to survive.
Beautiful, sharp and fearless, Costa Short Story Award winner Angela Readman's debut collection is aptly titled, for each story packs its share of explosive material. Exposing all kinds of prejudice - against age, status, disability - the stories also offer quirky new strategies for troubled lives.
If Angela Carter is Readman's fairy godmother, then David Lynch is her wicked stepbrother. Don't say you weren't warned . . .
Industry Reviews
'Angela Readman's stories are gems. Rainbow-coloured ones that probably glow in the dark and sing too. They are perfect, fizzing explosions of stories, told by a perfect storyteller. You will love them.' Nik Perring, author of Not So Perfect ------ 'Sparky, shining writing that zings from the page. Subversive, funny and incisive. A real talent'. Sarah Hilary, author of Someone Else's Skin ------ 'Angela Readman's stories are fantastic, delightful gifts. You don't open them, they open you. They open you to the amazing, the tragic, the odd and the gorgeous. This is a very special collection.' Toby Litt, author of Hospital and one of Granta magazine's Best of Young British Novelists ------ 'In a fantastical world of witches, saints and talking toys, Angela Readman's characters struggle to escape the prison of their all-too-real circumstances. A wonderful, wonder-full debut collection.' Adam Marek, author of Instruction Manual for Swallowing ------ 'The characters that drift through these stories are alienated from each other and from themselves, but each story shows a curiosity about the oddities of life that burns through the prose, bringing to life a world filled with surprise that is also surprisingly funny. A brave collection packed with striking concepts daringly pursued.' Richard Beard, author of Lazarus is Dead and Director of the National Academy of Writing ------ 'With coolly unassuming delivery and not a single word out of place, this is storytelling at its best. A remarkable collection of delightfully skewed stories.' Caroline Smailes, author of The Drowning of Arthur Braxton ------ Praise for Readman's poetry: 'Genuine work from a genuine new voice - a voice which will be heard. Sharply observant, savage and wholly authentic'. Joolz Denby ------ 'Readman casts her eye on ordinary life with a sharp knife. This is witty, astute poetry of the inventive kind and feels important, as all good poetry should - Poetry with an edge'. Julia Darling -----'[A] masterclass in the surreal ... This slim volume is a great commuter read, and shows why she won the Costa Short Story Award.' Max Wallis, 10 Best Spring Reads, Independent------
