A. L. Kennedy’s new collection of stories show us women and men wrestling with the lives they have been given and the times spinning out around them. Humour, fantasy, rage and despair both help and hinder individuals as they navigate their changing circumstances, their accumulating losses, their moments of comprehension and tenderness. Hoping for a quiet day at the zoo, a woman finally snaps at a white man’s racist tirade and vents years of fury; an American micro-celebrity practises lines for a chat show on which he will never appear; a woman walks out of her honeymoon suite at midnight, perhaps for good; and, in the extraordinary ‘New Mexico’, the…
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Uncle Shawn and Bill and the Not One Tiny Bit Lovey-Dovey Moon Adventure
Uncle Shawn and his best friend Badger Bill are back for another brilliantly bonkers adventure. They’ve seen off the nasty Dr P’Klawz with the help of their trusty llama pals, and now everything on their farm up on the sunny side of Scotland is just about perfect. Apart from the moon needing rescuing and a suspicious lady badger setting her sights on Bill… What could possibly go wrong? Financial Times –“From daft made-up words to scenes of surreal silliness straight out of a Terry Gilliam animation, the book has a sense of freewheeling fun here that’s hard to resist.” Sunday Times – “This is exuberant silliness with substance and style, and…
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The Little Snake
This is the story of Mary, a young girl born in a beautiful city full of rose gardens and fluttering kites. When she is still very small, Mary meets Lanmo, a shining golden snake, who becomes her very best friend.The snake visits Mary many times, he sees her city change, become sadder as bombs drop and war creeps in. He sees Mary and her family leave their home, he sees her grow up and he sees her fall in love. But Lanmo knows that the day will come when he can no longer visit Mary, when his destiny will break them apart, and he wonders whether having a friend can possibly be…
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24 Stories
In the early hours of 14 June 2017, a fire engulfed the 24-storey Grenfell Tower in west London, killing at least 72 people and injuring many more. An entire community was destroyed. For many people affected by this tragedy, the psychological scars may never heal. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is a condition that affects many people who have endured traumatic events, leaving them unable to move on from life-changing tragedies. In the immediate aftermath of the fire, the focus was rightly placed on providing food, shelter and health care for those left homeless – but it is important that we don’t lose sight of the psychological impact this fire will have…