M is for Spain

Author(s): Gillian Rioja, Stephen Mackey

Location(s): Spain

Genre(s): Short Stories

Era(s): Contemporary

Melancholy, motherhood, mistakes, misgivings, magic and mayhem. All find their way into M is for Spain, a collection of 14 contemporary short stories with a focus on the experiences of expatriates in their adoptive home. At the heart of this self-published work is the exploration of the sense of otherness felt by those submerged in a different culture.

Plangent tales such as “Boo to a Goose” and “The Good Shopper” offer delicate details that challenge long-established assumptions of living abroad. There is a comic touch in the shamelessly batty “The Visitors’ Book” while “My Culture Vulture” directs the reader from a worldly Spain to an oneiric equivalent. Meanwhile, in “Best Served Cold” we see the country at its most visceral.

M is for Spain is far removed from the clichés of sun, sand and sangria. Shunning the country’s well-trodden tourist routes, it is a literary road trip that provides a glimpse of the real Spain from the eyes of the outsider, with stopovers that include Galicia’s desolate Costa de Morte, a spanking new hospital in Logroño and Madrid’s bustling metro network.

The authors originate from Manchester, England. Each has lived in Spain since the 1980s.

Review this Book