Zoe Lambert, short story writer, recommends…
‘Prelude’ by
(CLASSIC: from Selected Stories, OUP)
It works against your expectations of the short story form – it appears not to have the conciseness and unity that Poe might advocate. Its shape seems to ripples as the story moves effortlessly between the various viewpoints in a family moving to the countryside. Its sequel, ‘By The Bay,’ is beautiful too.
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‘The Ant of the Self’ by
(MODERN: from Drinking Coffee Elsewhere, Canongate)
A teenage boy pays his father’s bail and is forced to drive his father to Washington DC to sell birds at a march. It’s about the frustrations and misunderstandings in family relationships and shows how despair is never far from joy.
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