With This Hand (by Sally Quilford)

(Amazon UK link)

I wanted something to dip in and out of on my Kindle while travelling recently. A collection of short stories by Sally Quilford seemed to fit the bill nicely, so I started ‘With This Hand (and Other Stories of Romance)’. I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect; this author writes in many different genres, from straightforward contemporary romances to historical romantic crime fiction.

There are notes at the front of most of the stories. Some merely state which magazine originally published them, if relevant, possibly under a different name. Others were not published before this collection. A few have longer notes, explaining where the ideas came from, or who inspired them. There are some interesting personal insights amongst them.

The opening story is a classic romance, ‘The Hungry Years’. It’s about a middle-aged couple who are going through a lot of stress. He has lost his job, and she is always angry. There are some flashbacks to their early, hard up years, and an entirely satisfactory resolution. It’s not always easy for short stories to hold the attention; in just a few thousand words characters and situations have to be developed and something has to change. This first story fulfils all the requirements, and I found it quite moving.

The second story is about a couple who have just had their divorce finalised when something drastic happens. It’s kind of a ghost story, rather surreal, and also, ultimately, quite satisfying albeit a tad disturbing. The third story is about a young woman who has no sense of direction and regularly gets things wrong - but is very kind-hearted and courageous.

There’s a Christmas story next, one involving two children and a couple of single parents, and then a decidedly surreal story where the world pauses as a bride decides to speak honestly to several people she is frustrated with. That’s followed by another rather different story about a ceremony with a difference. There are quite a few stories about uncertain people, and more than one story with a hint - or more - of something surreal.

However nothing really prepared me for the final, much longer story, which - so the initial note explains - was based on a classic legend. It’s not one I knew about, and I found it all rather disturbing. There’s more violence than I’m comfortable with; it’s not the kind of story that would make it into mainstream women’s fiction. As with the others, the writing and characterisation is good, and I kept reading, out of curiosity as to where the story was going. But I didn’t like it as much as any of the others - and was glad I read it while travelling in the daytime rather than before going to sleep.

Other than the last story, I liked all the others very much. I didn’t pay anything for this collection which I downloaded on special offer seven years ago. I see it’s still available inexpensively for the Kindle. I would recommend it to anyone who likes mixed short stories including some with a supernatural element. It made ideal reading while travelling.

Review copyright 2019 Sue's Book Reviews