REVIEW OF THE ART OF CONTRACEPTION

REVIEW OF THE ART OF CONTRACEPTION | CARYS BRAY

'The Art of Contraception', Susie Wild

The 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.

Thanks to Carys Bray: http://postnatalconfession.blogspot.com/2011/04/art-of-contraception-susie-wild.html

Comments

In Praise of Magnolia

Teaching means a walk through Roath Park and along the lake. Look at this beauty!

TRAVEL PHOTO: Asian green bee-eater

A bit of vibrant colour from this Asian green bee-eater on a wire on our trip to Goa last year...

BOOK REVIEW: 'one of the most distinctive voices in contemporary Welsh writing in English'

There is a wonderful extended review essay 'Ecological Literacy' by Steven Lovatt in the latest issue of New Welsh Review exploring recent books that seek to restore natural and cultural ecologies and recognise how the cultural nature of our landscapes is preserved in language. It offers an in-depth look at This Common Uncommon by Rae Howells, and here are three of our favourite snippets: "Rae Howells’ new poetry collection, This Common Uncommon , is a fierce and loving affirmation of the local, exemplifying the sort of care-full attention to the interdependence of people, other animals and plants that will be required if anything worthwhile is to be saved from the present ruin." "Howells confirms the evidence of her first collection, The Language of Bees, that she is a highly adept poet, possessing one of the most distinctive voices in contemporary Welsh writing in English." "If West Cross Common is developed for housing, nobody can now claim ignoran...

Wildlife

Search This Blog