Often quirky, containing unexpected, sometimes unnerving twists, these tales can catch the reader unawares. A lonely boy on holiday with his absent mother; an elderly lady still living in her exciting, wartime past; a kindly, old gentleman, trapped inside a body which no longer works; a teenage girl who finds she might possibly be capable of murder, the central characters spring to life in our imaginations as each short tale unfolds. Sometimes you are with the character, in first person, living their thoughts, sometimes you watch from a distance in third person. Sometimes you realise with a jolt that the time frame in which the story is set is not modern-day but is the 1960s, in others you are part of today’s world. Wherever they take you, these are stories that will leave you wondering and may knock you off-balance.
Jill Warrener was born and grew up in Bath. She graduated from Leeds University in 1975, with a degree in English. Following a two-year stint on VSO in Nigeria, she taught English and Drama in a comprehensive school in Surrey before moving with her family to her current address in a village just outside Bath. She writes short stories, both for children and adults, also poetry, and has completed one novel.
Customer
Reviews
1 reviews
-
On the surface, these short tales inhabit the familiar landscapes of everyday, often filtered through a reverie of shifting memories – an old woman misses her regular routine to sit on a hillside with her son, a daughter takes her mother on their annual week away, a clandestine sea-side visit by a long-suffering wife, idyllic family Sundays … but here is more than a calm acceptance and yearning for what once was. A darker undercurrent weaves its way through the wistfulness and longing, suddenly breaking the surface to draw you up short – a sharp stab of malevolence, childhood anxiety replayed, a pervading sense of guilt and anguish. It’s easy to enjoy these evocative quirky stories – but don’t expect blue skies, primroses and picnics all the way!
Write a Review
