Best British Short Stories 2018 by Nicholas Royle

Best British Short Stories 2018 Reviews

• 
  Sean Barrs

  I really do need to squeeze more short stories into my reading diet. I don’t read enough of them, so this was a great place for me to start.
  
  And it’s the first time I’ve read one of the books in this series, and I really do urge other readers and writers to pick it up too. It seems drastically under read if Goodreads ratings are anything to go by. If you don’t want to read it for the love of the short story, read it to catch a glimpse of British writers that may have gone unnoticed.
  
  For example, the first story in here was written by Collet De Curzon in 1947 but it has remained unpublished until 2016 because the writer thought her work was unworthy. Her decedents have since uncovered a trove of her writing and have been pushing them forward. The story by Curzon is a fantastic piece of imaginative symbolism, and, for me, it was the best story in here. The idea that music can hold such power is a pertinent one, and Curzon carried forward into a death driven symphony that threatened to drive her characters mad. I loved it.
  
  The stories are an eclectic bunch with some focusing on time and memory along with the random power of chance encounters. There are also revealing (and perhaps true to life) character studies. Alison Mackeod’s story ‘We are Methodists’ explored post traumatic stress disorder and how it can, effectively, reshape the life of its sufferer. The solider, who’s psychology she explores, is demonstrative of how soldiers can never quite look at the world with the same eyes again. And such a reversal is seen in Jo Mazelis’ story ‘Skin.’ All it takes is one moment (or one sensory exploration) to alter a life altogether.
  
  Lisa Tuttle is the most prolific writer in the collection and her story ‘The Last Dare’ explores horror elements and a haunted house in Texas; it’s perfect for Halloween. And although the short story collection showcases British writers, the stories do not focus specifically on Britain or Britishness. They have just been written by British people. And I liked that. It gives the collection more universal appeal.
  
  I look forward to next year’s edition, to reading the literary delights Nicholas Royle has chose to present to the nation as the best of the crop.
• 
  JimZ

  This is the second collection of short stories I have read in this series (I read the 2020 issue). I have the 2019 edition to read yet…I am convinced these are overall quite good and will get the others in the collection…they go back to 2011. 😊The series editor is Nicholas Royle. He’s edited over 20 anthologies, and just from their titles I am intrigued. As examples:
  • The Time Out Book of Paris Short Stories
  • The Time Out Book of London Short Stories: (there are Volumes 1 & 2)
  • Murmurations: An Anthology of Uncanny Stories About Birds (murmuration is a flock of starlings…I had to look it up)
  • The Ex Files: New Stories About Old Flames
  
  There are 20 stories in this collection, and I consider anything over 3 to be pretty good to excellent. I gave 11 stories > 3 stars so it was worth my while to read these stories. In fact, I am going to cheat – because 50% of the stories were over 3 stars, I am going to give the collection, overall, 4 stars! 😊
  
  Royle gives us a brief synopsis (~1/2 page) of each author (who they are and what they are publishing) at the conclusion of the book. I note that 4 of the authors had their short stories originally published in “The Lonely Crowd” [
  https://thelonelycrowd.org/about/].
  
  Here are the stories in the order they appear in the collection, the author's name, and my rating and every now and then a comment about the story and/or what I thought of it
  .
  Paymon’s Trio – Colette de Curzon – 3.5 stars
  • Interesting: 1) The book is dedicated to her in memoriam. 2) She was born in 1927. “The daughter of the then French Consul General, she wrote ‘Paymon’s Trio’ in 1949 in Portsmouth, at the age of 22. Having no knowledge of available routes of publication, she tucked it way in a folder of her work, where it remained until 2016. Mother of four grown-up daughters and three grandchildren. She died in March 2018. [JIMZ: Here’s a happy ending to this blurb!
  https://www.chi.ac.uk/news/writing-dr... ]
  
  A Thunderstorm in Santa Monica – Adam O’Riordan – 3 stars
  
  Trio for Four Voices – Jane McLaughlin – 5 stars
  • A little girl goes up to a man at a hotel restaurant and tells him she hates her mother and is going to kill her. Well now! 😲
  
  How to Be an Alcoholic – William Thirsk=Gaskill – 4.5 stars
  • Well written. Sorta funny. The story is aptly described in the title.
  
  We Are Methodists – Alison Macleod – 5 stars
  
  Life Grabs – Adrian Slatcher – 2 stars
  
  Dog People – M John Harrison – 2 stars
  • I didn’t get it. Maybe there was not anything to be gotten.
  
  Skin – Jo Mazelis – 5 stars
  • Sorta depressing. Thank God she left the loser (and that’s a happy ending, isn’t it?)
  
  Cwtch – Conrad Williams – 3.5 stars
  
  And Three Things Bumped – Kelly Creighton – 3.5 stars
  • It was OK but it was going all over the place, and I really didn’t get it truth to tell.
  
  In Dark Places – Wyl Menmuir – 2.5 stars
  • A story about caving. I didn’t get it…again. Although I felt claustrophobic where he was describing crawling around in tight places. One man found dead in a tight place in which he couldn’t crawl back anymore because of how he had his arms straightened out before him. Yikes!
  
  The War – Owen Booth – 3 stars
  
  And What If All Your Blood Ran Cold – Tania Hershman – 2.5 stars
  
  Homing Instinct – Mike Fox – 3.5 stars
  
  Mask – Brian Howell – 3.5 stars
  • Very very weird. … A man gets his teeth cleaned…and more.
  
  Sister – CD Rose – 2 stars
  
  Waiting for the Runners – Chloe Turner – 1 star
  • I got 0% of it this story and so I give it 0 stars. It sucked.
  
  Swatch – Eley Williams – 3 stars
  • Lots of literary organizations raving about author’s collection of short stories that this story emanated from:
  https://www.influxpress.com/attrib-an...
  
  The Last Dare – Lisa Tuttle – 4 stars
  • Scary story. In the short story, a story is told that is supposedly based on a Walter de Lar Mare story, The Riddle.
  
  Dazzled – Iain Robinson – 4.5 stars
  • Story of a man being swept away at sea by a tide. A lot is told in this 7-page story. I’d read more of this guy’s work if I can. He has an interesting blog site:
  http://www.iainrobinson.com/
  
  Review
  •
  https://neverimitate.wordpress.com/ta...
  •
  https://nbmagazine.co.uk/best-british... (I agree pretty much with this reviewer)
  
• 
  Jackie Law

  Edited by Nicholas Royle, this 2018 collection of twenty short stories is the eighth in an annual series published by Salt. It provides eclectic and engaging reading with stories selected from a range of authors, although as the title suggests to qualify for inclusion all contributors must be British. The stories have previously appeared in a wide variety of print and online magazines and anthologies.
  
  The collection opens with Payman’s Trio, written by the late Colette De Curzon, and one of several chilling tales. Set in last century’s post war London the voice is appropriately evocative of the time period, somehow deferential when compared to contemporary writing. The story begins with the purchase of a second hand book that places an uncanny musical score into the hands of a musician. When he and his friends perform the piece they realise the folly of their curiosity.
  
  Although written by British authors quite a number of the stories are set abroad. A Thunderstorm in Santa Monica, by Adam O’Riordan, tells of a faltering long distance relationship that culminates in the titular event. It is the characters’ thoughts, behaviour and observations more than a plot that provide interest.
  
  Trio for Four Voices, by Jane McLaughlin, is another character driven tale located abroad. Tension is maintained as the narrator is drawn into the scheming of a family staying in the same hotel. Like the previous offering, the temporary nature of the setting adds an element of dislocation.
  
  In contrast, How to be an Alcoholic, by William Thirsk-Gaskill, features a narrator very much stuck at home, although whose actions are inexorably leading to a crisis that may cast him adrift. It is a story of self-inflicted breakdown that he observes whilst lacking the will to change.
  
  We Are Methodists, by Alison MacLeod, introduces a plumber with a terrible history who decides to share his dark background with his client, a stranger recently moved into her new home. Unburdening to loved ones risks their judgement and a change of perception. A stranger’s reaction can be more straightforward to deal with.
  
  Life Grabs, by Adrian Slatcher, is a disturbing tale of a man whose young son disappeared many years ago. Desperate to know what became of the boy he resorts to desperate measures.
  
  Dog People, by M John Harrison, is taken from a collection by the author I reviewed last year – You Should Come With Me Now. It portrays the rise and fall of a sexual relationship alongside the complexities of family ties. In this interpretation hope is transient, resentments forever bubbling to the surface.
  
  Skin, by Jo Mazelis, is set in New York and details the swan song of a relationship. Told from the woman’s point of view there is a refreshing lack of blame when she recognises her boyfriend’s true nature.
  
  Cwtch, by Conrad Williams, is a dark tale of the effects on a family of a tragedy that continues to haunt a surviving twin. The denouement may have been telegraphed but was still chilling.
  
  And Three Things Bumped, by Kelly Creighton, exposes how memories are twisted in the telling. A taxi driver chats about his life unaware that his client has heard previous versions.
  
  In Dark Places, by Wyl Menmuir, is set underground in an area long popular with cavers. A honeymooning couple have booked a guided tour beyond the popular caverns. Tourists display interest in macabre history from their sanitised safety. Written by the author of The Many, it is narrated by those who have inhabited the caves for centuries.
  
  The War, by Owen Booth, is a thoughtful if somewhat depressing take on the many causes and effects of conflict – of man’s self-indulgence and damaging self-pity.
  
  And What If All Your Blood Ran Cold, by Tania Hershman, is set in a hospital where medics are experimenting with raising the dead. I wonder if this was inspired by actual medical research.
  
  The Homing Instinct, by Mike Fox, features the homeless and their precarious survival. It highlights how those offering help are doing so on their own terms.
  
  “a more formal prayer followed by a short homily from the verger was over. This they tolerated: food mostly came with God attached.”
  
  Mask, by Brian Howell, is set in Japan where a man is attracted to a dental nurse. Sexual predilections can be weird.
  
  Sister, by CD Rose, is another story of twins, one of whom goes missing. Even loving and supportive families cannot always offer the help needed.
  
  Waiting For The Runners, by Chloe Turner, is a tale of family betrayal in a small community. A mother must decide how to behave when her lonely son finds a new friend.
  
  Swatch, by Eley Williams, is taken from the previously reviewed Attrib. (and other stories), published by Influx and winner of the Republic of Consciousness Prize for Small Presses. It presents two young boys sitting in a cramped cupboard during a game of hide and seek. Peter considers objects through a lens coloured by the paints his father utilises. Stuart’s interests as they wait to be found are more prosaic.
  
  The Last Dare, by Lisa Tuttle, is set in Texas where a grandmother returns to visit her family. It involves a spooky house and missing children, a memory from childhood brought back around Halloween.
  
  Dazzle, by Iain Robinson, involves an adulterer whose wish for absolution manifests itself. Comeuppance is rarely this direct.
  
  For those wishing to dip their toes into short stories currently available in a variety of mediums this collection offers an excellent primer. As a fan of the literary format I found it a well curated and enjoyable read.
• 
  Belinda Carvalho

  This is a fine collection of eclectic short stories. I actually wanted to read the 2019 one as I'd just finished a recent Irish collection of contemporary stories and wanted to compare the experience/writing. This was the only one available via my local library service and thus collection was much more to my tastes.
  There were very few stories that I didn't enjoy in this and even those were still good, just not to my tastes. The voices were strong, various, subtle and it's just a perfect collection. Niw I really want to read the 2019 one!
• 
  Alan

  review coming
• 
  Des Lewis

  
  SWATCH by Eley Williams
  
  “The halting tongue that dares not tell the whole!”
  
  I dare not contemplate the gestalt. Here, the earlier mis-sharing of sweets to a sister — a to-be-missing sister like that in CD Rose’s Sister as there was such mis-sharing in CWTCH (how often has there been an anthology with two short word titles containing WTCH?) — becomes a stuffing of marshmallows into a mouth as if some sort of trial for the Guinness Book of Records of the most that can be stuffed and still allow the school song to be sung. This happens with two children (both boys this time) playing hide and seek who happen to dive into the same small hiding-place together. Such closeness also causes not only a “hand dipping once again into the marshmallow bag” but contemplating eyes for their rarefied colours with equally rarefied names, and one of their Dads who had a bespoke paint-colour business. Take a cross-section of this story’s gestalt and I promise to be able to reproduce it exactly. But it is better reading it for yourself and for whatever bespoke gestalt it has for you as it did for me so intriguingly, almost secretively. I feel as if I am now moulding this story into an unintentionally mushy shape of meaning, although buying this book did effectively enable me to read it in any fashion I chose! A story unique in such powers of mutual susceptibility, I guess.
  
  The detailed review of this book posted elsewhere under my name is too long or impractical to post here.
  Above is one of my observations at the time of the review.
• 
  Anne Brooke

  A good collection of short stories with one or two outstanding offerings. Well worth a read.
• 
  Annso

  Some of the stories were brilliant, others I did not like as much – but I think that's just what you get when you read a selection of short stories as eclectic as this one! Definitely going to look into the 2019 edition, loved getting an insight into a lot of authors' works and writing.
• 
  Richard Clay

  I'd agree that most of these selections are likely to be pretty near the top of what was produced last year so, once again, it does what it says on the tin.
• 
  Simon

  Maybe the best of this series so far. Really good crop.