An Unreliable Guide to London by M. John Harrison
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
The flavor of a city is the combination of its neighborhoods and all the stories of the people contained within. This off-kilter collection of tales and vignettes highlights many of the peripheral neighborhoods of London. Some stories are fantastical and absurdist, while others present a realistic take on a narrower London experience. Above all, the tales show a wonderful diversity of voice doing much justice to the multi-cultural and international megalopolis that is London.
My absolute favorite tale, which I rated 5-stars, was the profoundly moving “Warm and Toasty” by Yvette Edwards. It’s a tale of hope and humanity with an eye on London’s ethnic history.
I’ve reviewed all of the component tales of the anthology. The rest are:
F., George–“Mother Black Cap’s Revenge”–4 stars
Newland, Courttia–“The Secret Life of Little Wormwood Scrubs”–4 stars
Shukla, Nikesh–“Tayyabs”–4 stars
Singh, Sunny–“In the Vauxhall Pleasure Garden”–4 stars
Thompson, Stephen–“The Arches”–4 stars
Budden, Gary–“Staples Corner”–3 stars
Burrows, Tim–“Broadgate”–3 stars
Caless, Kit–“Market Forces”–3 stars
Godden, Salena–“The Camden Blood Thieves”–3 stars
Jacques, Juliet–“Corridors of Power”–3 stars
Oyedeji, Koye–“Thy Kingdom Come”–3 stars
Rees, Gareth E.–“There is Something Very Wrong with Leyton Mills Retail Park”–3 stars
Schilz, Aki–“Beating the Bounds”–3 stars
Victoire, Stephanie–“Nightingale Lane”–3 stars
Williams, Eley–“In Pursuit of the Swan at Brentford Ait”–3 stars
Aridjis, Chloe–“N1, Centre of Illusion”–2 stars
Ewen, Paul–“Rose’s, Woolrich”–2 stars
Harrison, M. John–“Babies From Sand”–2 stars
Okojie, Irenosen–“Filamo”–2 stars
Wells, Tim–“Heavy Manners”–2 stars
Wiles, Will–“Notes on London’s Housing Crisis”–2 stars
Saro-Wiwa, Noo–“Soft on the Inside”–1 star
I received this anthology directly from Influx Press editor and contributing author, Gary Budden.
[Check out my other reviews here.]
Jaffalogue 