Genre:
Short Story Collection
Description:
This
a collection of eight
stories by Phil Harvey which its Amazon puff says “will
appeal to fans of Jonathan Franzen, Philip Roth and Martin Amis, and
is right at home with some of the greatest famous short story
collections.” Six of them are contemporary, two are science
fictionish.
Author:
If you
want to find out more about Phil Harvey, or connect with him, then
this is a good place to start: http://www.humanmade.net/phil-harvey
Harvey
has other important career strands alongside his fiction writing. He
is the author of non-fiction books about contraception, government
snooping and libertarian values; he has set up a charity which
implements family planning and HIV/AIDS prevention programs in
developing countries; helped fund the Drug Policy Alliance, the
Marijuana Police project and NORML; he works to raise awareness of
freedom-of-speech issues and injustices caused by the war on drugs;
and he runs a company which helps adults enjoy their sex lives. His
compassion in and deep knowledge of these various areas informs his
fiction, to advantage.
Appraisal:
These
are meaty stories. The author turns out to be one of those treasured
finds in whom, as a reader, one may place absolute trust.
The
eight stories are delightfully varied. Nevertheless, they do have
aspects in common. I would describe them all as having both a
visceral foundation and as many layers as an onion. Harvey sketches
in characters at the same time as he develops the story – no
hanging around to see the set and meet the cast here. Not a word is
wasted, which is essential when constructing short stories. The story
is underway from the first sentence: the pace and length are
perfectly judged – and at the end is a payoff, which one had not
seen coming, which is perfect and thought-provoking. Harvey is a man
who really understands the short form in fiction and uses it
beautifully. The Amazon puff (above) names several writers of short
fiction in whose company these stories can stand. I hereby add Ernest
Hemingway – yes, Harvey is THAT good.
My
favourite (and it’s a hard choice) is Virgin
Birth which looks at
particularly difficult moral choices that might surround a surrogate
pregnancy – the sort of choices that I’ve never been encouraged
to think about before. I found it revelatory.
This
is a short book. One can absorb a story in a sitting. Even if short
fiction isn’t your usual fare I urge you to give these a go. If
you’re still wrinkling your nose at the idea, Harvey has longer
fiction available. This is an author well worth discovering.
Format/Typo
Issues:
No
infelicities to report, except for the three typos in one story.
Rating:
***** Five Stars
Reviewed
by: Judi Moore
Approximate
word count: 25-30,000
words
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