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REVIEW OF THE ART OF CONTRACEPTION | CARYS BRAY


'The Art of Contraception', Susie Wild

The Art of ContraceptionThe Art of Contraception, Susie Wild
'The Art of Contraception' is a collection of eleven short stories and a novella. These stories are linked by themes of relationships, sex and procreation. The first story 'Aquatic Life' is available to read online (see link below). Replete with watery imagery, it is a story of loneliness, secret desires and exotic holidays taken in the bath. Wild has a talent for writing about human oddness, hence the use of the word 'quirky' in so many of the descriptions of this collection. 'Pocillovy' is a story about a missing egg cup which suddenly becomes 'essential to the health and survival' of Alice's relationship, while 'Waxing, Waning' takes the reader on an altogether more unpleasant journey to Thailand with Natalie, who has a 'childlike need to believe in wishes coming true.' My favourite stories were 'Pica', in which a pregnant woman inadvertently poisons a work colleague and 'Stung', a story which opens up like a Russian doll into much more than expected.
Read 'Aquatic Life' here.
Read a review here and read Wild's Author's Notes here.

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