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Reader Reviews | |
Review by John Tennent (311012) Rating (9/10) Review
by John Tennent There is a simmering anger pervading this writing, tempered with poetic description. Fleming looks at the world and encapsulates the often terrible truth about the greed and machismo behind everything from war to corporate greed. He dissects with precision and note perfect dialogue. In Dear Rhys, Tanya sits in a pub contemplating the opportune moment to tell her boyfriend their relationship is over. But, as with all of these stories, layers of narrative unfold haphazardly, only to reach a poignant and completely unpredicted conclusion. While the foreground is a tautly balanced emotional drama we are also plunged into much deeper 21st century nightmares. The sordid truth of international diplomacy is broached in one exchange between Tanya and her increasingly drunken partner:
In a chilling tale, Werewolves, a man finds himself at the receiving end of bullying by a teenage gang. Inspired by Bosnian war crimes, he enacts a terrible revenge. Dogs uses the simple plot device of an instance of animal cruelty to become the focal point of an unravelling marriage. These stories are all poignant. In tone and content they skirt territory familiar to anyone who has ever read anything published by Rebel Inc (the Scottish imprint that first introduced Irvine Welsh). The characters are often ambitionless Edinburgh males who swear, binge drink, take drugs and inflict casual violence.
But here's the key point. While a lot of literary fiction simply
picks at sores, the overriding sense here is of ordinary people
trying to cope. In highlighting inhuman behaviour the true potency
of this collection is its celebration of humanity. |
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