Jodi Cleghorn

The Yin & Yang Books edited by Jodi Cleghorn and Paul Anderson is a collection of short stories set in an airport. That doesn’t sound exciting in itself, but believe me, the stories are entwined together in a way that forces the reader’s attention. They are filled with intrigue, mystery and humour. One story will tease you with something and another story will satisfy you with the resolution. Several stories might hint at something else and then you’ll be treated with the “real” show more story later in the book. The characters, because they are written by many authors, have unique voices…yet you feel as if you are reading one complete story written by one person. It is most cleverly done and I was impressed by the high quality of writing by not one or two of the authors, but ALL of them. show less

No Need to Reply by Jodi Cleghorn is a collection of flash stories. They are not speculative fiction — I felt that was important to say up front. For that reason, they are also not the kind of thing I usually read but they were a pleasant enough way to pass the time. The blurb summarises the theme of the collection better than I can:

Experimental in style, structure and form, the eight stories explore the pain and euphoria of finding your voice. From a man confronting the price of a lie show more and a woman wrestling with the legacy of her mortality, to a young girl lost in a war of misunderstandings, the collection delves into conversations that define the struggle to be heard.

This is actually a difficult form to review. I swore off individually reviewing flash stories (like I would a short story collection) last year which doesn't leave much to say. The stories are all flash pieces, of similar length and none are super-short short stories. They are also all some amalgamation of mood and character pieces, deftly balancing the two sides of that coin.

The stories are mostly sad, but for a variety of reasons. The opening and titular story, involving letters, was my favourite and a strong opening for the collection. In all her stories Cleghorn gradually reveals character and then deftly illuminates the situation, previously ambiguous. I did write a brief note for each story, mostly as a memory aid for myself and not as a review, which I include below in case you are interested.

I would recommend this collection to fans of contemporary fiction, particularly of the contemplative/literary variety. It's short on pages — how long could eight flash pieces really be? — but not on emotional heft. A thoughtful read.

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No Need To Reply — Unopened letters

It Could Be — Friendship contemplation over a dirty sink

Squeeze Box — War veteran remembering his wife

Holding On — Woman visiting a lover in London

Olives — A woman’s conversation and contemplation over olives

Shuffling — A Tarot reading over Skype (or whatever)

Wishing, Happily Ever After — A day at the beach from a child's perspective

Closure — Basically what the title says (includes poem)

4 / 5 stars

Read more reviews on my blog. show less

100 stories. 100 authors. 100 unique ideas published in one book. The stories are extra short and touch on all kinds of wonderful things that stir the emotions. I found myself snickering while reading one story and crying (in a good way) when reading another.

Most of the stories are light-hearted, set in every day situations. Some of the stories take you away from the world we know and drop you in a fantasy world or on an unknown planet/space ship. All of them give you a moment to appreciate show more life through the eyes of someone else.

And the profits from the sale of the book are donated to the survivors of the Queensland floods, which devastated something like 80% of Queensland in early 2011.

This would make a brilliant gift. show less

Doing another short fiction round-up on my blog; review there soon, but the way it's coming out, it resists breaking up into individual reviews.