Damage

 

The stories that make up Damage each represent a new take on the theme of difference and strangeness in human life. There are elements of traditional horror, fantasy and the supernatural, but also beauty, humour, compassion and love.

 

In ‘Homecraft’ two children learn to survive in a derelict building. A rock singer deals with her addictions in ‘Siren’. In ‘Selkie: A Scottish Idyll’, the traditional Celtic tale is given a modern twist. The title story follows an asylum seeker leading a double life. The strange rituals of a group of bird watchers are charted in ‘Boom Bird’, and in ‘Northern Light’ an Icelandic myth unravels in a contemporary setting.

 

Damage explores the fragility of life and love and how they can sometimes survive against the odds, despite the damage that is done to them.

 

First published by PS Publishing, Damage is now available from Tartarus press as a paperback here.

 

Recommended Halloween reading in The Washington Post.

 

Damage is on the longlist for the Edge Hill Short Story Prize, 2017.

 

Reviews:

'... elegant and perceptive narrative style ... a high degree of eclecticism in her choice of subjects, atmospheres, and genres.' Mario Guslandi, SFRevu

 

'...  showing her dexterity with a variety of different storytelling approaches ... Skillfully told in clear, simple prose, these slice-of-life stories entertain with their evocation of ordinary—and sometimes extraordinary—possibilities.' Publishers Weekly

 

'Love and beauty share the stage with distilled terror.' Rick Kleffel, Narrative Species.

 

'Rosalie Parker ... accomplished practitioner... of the eerie tale.' Michael Dirda, The Washington Post.

 

'With a leery eye on the unusual and the irrational in everyday life, the stories in this collection yank the reader in with an unyielding grasp. From orphaned children to scheming confidence tricksters, characters demonstrate Rosalie Parker’s skill at immediate definition of people, place and plot. . . Readers who enjoy eerie and thoughtful stories will adore this compilation. Damage is a collection of intriguing, strange stories by a writer who flexes their narrative power with superb command.' Aurealis (#149)

 

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