Maria Savva's Blog - Posts Tagged "grenfell"

24 Stories: of Hope for Survivors of the Grenfell Tower Fire by Kathy Burke

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This is a wonderful collection of 24 short stories (including a poem and a story written in the form of a comic strip) written on themes of community and hope. It was released to support the charity efforts to raise funds for survivors and the families of victims of the Grenfell fire.

I enjoyed all of the stories although some resonated with me more than others. There were four stand-out stories for me: The touching tale, "Shifa'", by Yasmina Floyer; "The Dish With The Dancing Cows", by Meera Syal, a poignant story which deals with the topics of bereavement and friendship; "The Dreamers", by John Niven, which is a fictional story based around the tragic Grenfell fire; and "Cannonball Ashtrays", by S.J. Thompson, which explores the subjects of homelessness and community/friendship.

Other stories I particularly liked were: "A Bridge", by Dan Rebellato, which is based on a true story; "Bad At Bay", by John Fidler, a humorous and thought-provoking story; "The Good Sandyman", an entertaining, insightful story by Mike Gayle; the reflective "33 RPM", by Mark McLaughlin; and "Oh, My Hopeless Wanderer", by Zoe Venditozzi, a touching story about an unlikely friendship.

The book starts with a foreword from Dr Dean Burnett explaining PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder). The book contains a real mix of stories that all touch upon how people interact with each other in difficult times. Some of the stories do mention the Grenfell fire. There are insightful observations throughout, and on the whole it's an uplifting collection.

Definitely worth a read if you're a fan of short stories.







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