The Beginning of the World In the Middle of the Night
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" ‘But… War’s bullshit,’ you said. ‘It’s not romantic at all.’ " from the story Pebbles.
In my quest to read different things throughout this month, I picked up a copy of Jen Campbell’s The Beginning of the World in the Middle of the Night. The book itself is a compilation of short stories that are both fantastical and in some ways slightly macabre.
At the beginning of each story there is a small illustration representative of the short story that comes after it. I particularly enjoyed this, they’re not overwhelming in detail but still give enough of an insight to make things more interesting than just reading a heading or title.
One of the stories that I love from this compilation is Little Deaths; the world within this short story is a fascinating take on normalising death as a part of the human (and supernatural) world. I like the mixing of both the real life (homework, ugh) and the magical (ghost in jam jars).
"English:
How would you like to die? Please number your preferences 1-10, with 1 being the most preferable. You have a 1000 word limit. You will be marked on your ability to persuade."
from the story Little Deaths.
"The fakers always get caught in the end."
from the story Little Deaths.Show moreShow less
In my quest to read different things throughout this month, I picked up a copy of Jen Campbell’s The Beginning of the World in the Middle of the Night. The book itself is a compilation of short stories that are both fantastical and in some ways slightly macabre.
At the beginning of each story there is a small illustration representative of the short story that comes after it. I particularly enjoyed this, they’re not overwhelming in detail but still give enough of an insight to make things more interesting than just reading a heading or title.
One of the stories that I love from this compilation is Little Deaths; the world within this short story is a fascinating take on normalising death as a part of the human (and supernatural) world. I like the mixing of both the real life (homework, ugh) and the magical (ghost in jam jars).
"English:
How would you like to die? Please number your preferences 1-10, with 1 being the most preferable. You have a 1000 word limit. You will be marked on your ability to persuade."
from the story Little Deaths.
"The fakers always get caught in the end."
from the story Little Deaths. Show more Show less