Published by Cardboard Wall Empire in July 2017.
Enter the Goodreads giveaway to win a paperback copy of Rusticles (closes 12th August)
79 pages towards Olivia's fun August Reading Challenge to read an average of 50 pages each day throughout the month. Total = 335.
Where to buy this book:
Abebooks |
Alibris |
Amazon UK |
Amazon US |
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The Book Depository |
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How I got this book:
Received a review copy from the author
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
In Hilligoss, a tired man searches for a son, a flamingo enthrals the night, and fireworks light up the lost. In these stories and more, Rusticles offers a meandering tour through backroads bathed in half light, where shadows play along the verges and whispers of the past assault daydreams of the present. Walk the worn pathways of Hilligoss.
Rusticles is an eerie collection of eleven short stories all set in or around a town named Hilligoss. Through each of the tales we catch glimpses of its people and the darker side of life there. Gransden has a talent for evoking places, expertly presenting ordinary scenes, but then just twisting them enough to result in a recognisable yet unnerving situations. My favourite stories in Rusticles are great examples of this. In Dried Peas On A Wall, children loiter outside an old woman's home, daring each other to knock on her door and run away. A familiar scenario probably the world over, but here the children's chatter has a disturbing tone. Breakneck Hill is another creepily atmospheric piece. A bus traverses its last route of the day with its driver entering into an apparently recurring conversation with a young girl who I am not sure was really there. And what happens to the woman the bus passed by?
I loved Rebecca Gransden's first novel, anemogram, so had high hopes for this collection. Rusticles only failing for me is that I felt some of the tales needed stronger characters, but accept this is difficult to achieve within the confines of the short story format. Hilligoss is a remarkably chilling creation though, reminiscent of Royston Vasey in its weirdness, and I would be happy to read more Gransden stories set here. Having this town as a link provides a satisfying cohesion to the collection.
Search Lit Flits for more:
Books by Rebecca Gransden / Short stories / Books from England
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