Hi Folks
I have been reprimanded by my wife that I have not really told visitors blog what the book is reallly about. She is right and therefore it is time to manke amends, so I hope whaty follows may be of interest, and shine a little lighr as rebgards what lies within.
First the
overall synopsis., and then a little detail about each story
How often do we have time to look at and think about the
quieter moments in life? How often do we get the chance to think differently
about all of life around us, and with a fresh pair of eyes to study what we
see?
For many of us the answer to both such questions would sadly
be, very seldom, but this collection of 24 short stories, approximately
2000-2500 words per story, and written by Isle of Man resident and short story
writer Chris Wilson, offers us such a rare opportunity.
Written in a style that offers the reader the chance to
rediscover the joys of the English language, the stories are split into four
different categories. They all have a distinct flavour and character of their
own, yet all have common threads that bind them all as one. What threads are
these? Why that of life itself. We all know about life’s happiness and doubt,
and love and loneliness, and we all know that if we walk in bright sunlight we
must also walk beneath its showers. Yet this collection goes further as what
might happen after death is sometimes explored.
The first group within the collection is that of eight feel
good stories. From a new found love and friendship over a pot if strawberry
jam, to the yearning of full acceptance with a village community, via oodles of
Dutch pancakes, tatties, cheese, and melt in your mouth cream pastries.; this
section allows the reader to effortlessly slip into their dreams.
A walk on the dark side, a group of six stories, is a different
kettle of fish for it offers the reader a chance to explore darker and possibly
more uncomfortable themes. The nature of happiness is explored alongside
successful crime, and the darker side of human nature is very much to be seen.
Yet even here there are glimpses of sunlight, and there is still warmth and
affection to be found.
Then we have Paranormal Stories, a small group of three
stories, but an intriguing selection, and one which may catch the reader by
surprise. The ghosts with this section, if all of them are ghosts, are all
active ghosts. They all have minds and emotions if their own and all reflect
upon the world of the living and the dead that surrounds them. The reader is
offered the chance to look at the world of the paranormal in a different way,
and to contemplate worlds and existences as yet unseen.
The final section is that of the Pause for Thought section,
and this group of seven stories is maybe the most complex of them all. Here the
reader is encouraged to literally stop and think about what lies before their
eyes, and to even challenge everything that they might believe to be true. From
a compassionate view of dementia to the challenges of human nature and
humanism, via a sobering tale of alcoholism and loneliness, and a portrayal of
trying to cope with the death of a loved one; all of life is here. Yet, despite
such sadness there is still warmth, compassion and expectation of better things
to come in many of the stories, or at least the memory of better times once
savoured and enjoyed
So it is that the writer offers us a chance to think
differently and to think about life in all its manifestations. So what else can
the writer say but read on, think on, and enjoy.
Story Detail
Feel Good Stories
A Question of Style...A
coming together of characters separated by social convention over a pale of
tatties, bangers, cheese and butter
DANCE WITH ME...a
soft poignant tale burgeoning love between two lonely yet respected characters
separated by a counter and by the expectations of the community around them
Heavenly
Indulgencies... An unfolding romance
relationship and a tale of two women brought together over cherry brandy and
plates of pancakes laden with cinnamon, forest fruits, chocolate, and cream
Slip, Slop, Plop, and
Gurgle... a reunification of a troubled family unit, at set against the
slip, slop, plop, and gurgle, of a swiftly flowing stream
The Little pot of Jam....
a tale love, life, and loneliness, all resolved in a cosy corner cafe, and over
a pot of strawberry jam
The onion Bubble tree...
a tale of distant childhood memories, childhood stories, and re-affirmation
of belief, all tied up by a huge mound of onions and a bucketful of tears.
The Red Headed
Mermaid... A tale of rediscovery, re-affirmation, and hope for a new
beginning, all wrapped up in a red headed mermaid and a slumbering king
Neptune, shoring away happily on the sand
What’s up Popsi... A
tale of acceptance in a village community set amidst a sea of invasion,
relocation, and rich Czech pastries.
A Walk on the Dark
Side ...
A Lifetime of
Happiness... What could be more enjoyable than a lifetime of happiness, but
for Joe, the stories main character, such a prize is not so good as it might
seem.
Cock Robin... The
main character, one puffed up prison tour guide, seems to have a perfect bed of
roses, and a perfect marriage, but what is his wife thinking, and what lies
ahead for him at the head of a set of stairs
Grandma B.B.Betty’s
cookies... A grim tale of social
inadequacy and cannabis misuse, based on the Song The Old Dope Pedlar by Thomas
Lehrer
Lone Star... A
story of pride, fraudulence, and personal observation, set against the various
practices of a small town Literary group in all its dubious glory.
The Family Man... A study of a Perfect Family man at the
head of a perfect family, as seen through the eyes of a ghost writer
commissioned to tell his tale
Play Chicken... A
grim vengeful story about bullying, social acceptance, trains and train
timetables with an uncomfortable twist in the tail
Paranormal Stories
A Nice Day for Funeral... A bitter sweet story about
crossing over to the other side, as viewed through the eyes of the living and
of those who have gone before.
The Ghost Tour... gentle compassionate ghost story centred
around a ghost tour, but again a tour viewed by both the living and the dead.
Stepping Stones...
A paranormal story centred around the possibility of reincarnation, but with a
twist in the tail
Contemplative
stories
Hopscotch on the Prom...
A bitter sweet yet compassionate and carefully observed story focusing on
the effects of Alzheimer’s, as viewed through the eyes and mind of a sufferer,
her husband/carer or caregiver, and a young child
My Friend Jeannie...
A portrayal of loneliness, alcoholism, denial, and faded glory as told through
the eyes of once young and happy, but now poor and faded woman in Chelsea.
My Wife and I...
A reflective story about marriage as seen through the eyes of two couples who
are on two very different points on the scale.
Paddling in the
Sea... A story about a mothers inability to accept the death of her son in
WW2, and her subsequent belief that he still stands by her side.
Reading Between the
Lines... A soft contemplative tale about an aging seaside fortune teller,
and of her family who support her as her powers continue to fade.
The Wise Man and the
Fool... A tale of differing faith and care in the community involving a
vicar and a troubled young man in the community, but who is wise and who is the
fool, and are the gargoyles high up on the church only made of stone.?
The Yoghurt Pot
Musketeers... Three free thinkers debate various items, while the wife of
one of the debaters looks on, but what are they thinking, what are their true
characters, and, as the wife eats a yoghurt in the kitchen, how does that
yoghurt feel.