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If you are searching for a wonderfully enjoyable collection of short stories, allow me to introduce you to If I Loved You, I Would Tell You This, hot off the press.
Some people love a collection of short stories; others not so much – but the one thing many of us would agree on is the fact that a collection of short stories is perfect for a busy person with limited time for reading. The short burst of a satisfyingly meaty story, which is entertaining and quick to read, is the perfect end to a long day.
This collection takes us through story after story of thought provoking, poignant moments in everyday life. Prepare to be grabbed by the opening story, The Guide, a glimpse into the life of a blind girl and her torn parents, and completely hooked by the second, If I Loved You, sharing the simple things that can hurt a family in crisis and make their lives even more difficult.
Immortalising John Parker captures the world of a woman who has lost the man she loves, Harriet Elliot takes us back to the childhood of a girl who makes an extraordinary friend, driven by a desire for revenge, and Gaining Ground gives us a thought-provoking question: is there really a meaning behind everything?
Tableau Vivant is the story of a woman surrounded by secrets, Pine is about a widow struggling to deal with letting go of her daughter and enter new relationships, A Country Where You Once Lived a narration of absence and distance and the heartbreak of parenting, …Divorced, Beheaded, Survived is a short tale of missing friends and loved ones, and The History of the World a powerful finale of sibling relationships and connections.
As with any great short story, each of these will grip you quickly and unreservedly, staying with you long after they are finished. Black raises questions and situations that are new to many of us, but at the same time absolutely relatable and familiar – creating a rare mixture of emotions in the reader.
The stories all share some common themes and, rather than the idea of self-discovery that we are so used to in fiction, we are taken with the characters on the act of discovering. Each one is lost and seeking their own path to realisation and the unearthing of answers. Some are dealing with absence, some with the feeling of being discarded, others caught in a web of secrets and lies. All of them are introduced to us with beautiful descriptions and words that draw us in.
A beautiful collection of stories, If I Loved You, I Would Tell You This will appeal to women wanting a soul-searching, honest reading experience.