A diverse, daring volume, Desperate Remedies brings together dazzling short fictions by Adam Elston, Shaun Levin, Mark Saba, M L Stedman, Paul Blaney and Guy Ware, edited by Rebekah Lattin-Rawstrone. Adam Elston's trio of stories explores the different faces of loss and estrangement. The three stories by M L Stedman draw on the sights, smells and sounds of her native Western Australia. Mark Saba's novella of identity moves artfully between Connecticut, Minnesota, and points more distant in space and time. Paul Blaney's four stories, diverse in voice and form, combine the everyday and the fabulous, deftly negotiating dream and memory, community and the individual's quest for happiness. The first of Guy Ware's two stories is a picaresque tale of love, death and second-hand cars, the second a bitterly humorous portrait of a deeply-troubled man. Shaun Levin's virtuoso study of the poet and painter Isaac Rosenberg brings the collection to a deeply satisfying close. 'This is what short stories are meant to do: show us flamboyantly what the novel can't do and without falling into stylistic games or losing emotional resonance. Diamonds are created by compressing carbon at high temperatures; these stories seem to be created by treating language and form in much the same way. They are diamonds and should be valued as such.' Sara Maitland

Desperate Remedies

Levin, Shaun

Blaney, Paul

Guy Ware

Mark Saba

Adam Elston

ML Stedman

Literature & Fiction

Apis Books

Mister Spoonface

Literary

Red Button Publishing

<p>‘A fascinating novel exploring responsibility, desire and the very stuff of existence with verve and sensitivity’ Heidi James, author of Wounding ‘A thought-provoking exploration of relationships, obsession and what it means to be a father’ Justine Roberts, CEO of Mumsnet Fred Pooley feels as though there’s a gaping hole inside him, somewhere between his heart and his stomach. Since returning to London after six years in Hong Kong, he’s been drifting; a new job and a new girlfriend do little to fill the gap. Meeting up with his first love Sally and her baby daughter sets him musing about children. He never thought he wanted kids; now suddenly he can’t stop thinking about becoming a father. An attempt to connect with the father who deserted him only leaves him more bereft. Presented with a chance to discover a ‘family’ of his own, Fred crosses a line into a world of dark obsession. A thoroughly modern novel about family and what it means to be a parent.</p>

CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Blaney, Paul. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Blaney, Paul