Lead Review (The Book of Manchester)

• Book: The Book of Manchester
• Location: Manchester
• Author: David Sue (editor)

Review Author: tripfiction

 

The Book of Manchester features stories by David Constantine, Tom Benn, Pete Kalu, Brontë Schiltz , Sophie Parkes, Ian Carrington, Shelagh Delaney, Mike Duff, Mish Green, Okechukwu Nzelu, Reshma Ruia & Yusra Warsama.

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This is one of the latest titles from Comma Press, who specialise in short fiction from the UK and beyond. They publish “The Book of… “ series which features cities from Manchester (highlighted in this post) to Prague, Beijing, Bradford, Damascus (could be an interesting title given the current uprising in the city), Valletta, Barcelona, Cairo and more. Authors who know their city well create evocative stories that take the reader beyond the obvious, into darker hearts and everyday life (sometimes with a twist!), creating informed backstories and histories, offering insights behind the scenes.

The Book of Manchester opens with Beginning by David Constantine and it is the story of a teenager, who is on his way home from school and sees a group of people gathered around a body, floating in the Irwell. Subsequent stories tell of interactions coloured by racism, the vagaries of family dynamics, school experiences; overall, these are stories of interactions between ordinary residents that fuel the colour of the city and are captured within the pages of this anthology. There are some stories mired in excitement, others revel in the mundane, the rhythm of storytelling is as varied as the characters.

Each of these 12 stories takes a unique theme and each author vividly brings the city and its people to life. An ideal read for anyone who knows the city or wants to discover a new layer.

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