Method: And Other Stories

by Tom Vowler

The characters in this award-winning debut collection are very good at losing children, lovers, hope, the plot. They discover the past is not a place easily escaped from, as it pursues them with startling, sometimes horrifying, consequences. A writer takes his research a little too far; a couple, stricken with guilt and grief, prepare a last meal; a group of swingers is rocked by the arrival of a new couple; a man takes a train journey to learn how to kill again; a deformed brother and sister exact revenge half a mile underground; a modern-day messiah astonishes a criminal gang; a witch grows weary of her unemployed husband; a pair of luckless gamblers are convinced they can beat the system; and a father is forever tormented by the few minutes his back was turned. You wouldn't want to be the people in these stories, and yet, as their bizarre and unsettling worlds unfurl, it's impossible not to connect with them, their lives and the things that happen to them remaining with you long after reading. Provocative and bold, these stories will get under your skin.

Genres: Short Stories

176 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2010

About the author

TOM VOWLER is an award-winning novelist and short story writer living in south west England. His debut story collection, The Method, won the Scott Prize and the Edge Hill Readers' Prize, while his novels What Lies Within and That Dark Remembered Day received critical acclaim. He is an Arvon tutor and an associate lecturer in creative writing at Plymouth University, where he completed his PhD. His second collection of stories, Dazzling the Gods, was published in 2018, and his new novel, Every Seventh Wave, is out now.

Reviews

[Kathryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a stunning collection of short stories and an extremely accomplished debut. While a recurring feature of the stories is of dealing with events in a character's past, I was seriously impressed by Tom Vowler's range of narrators and versatility of style. It would have been all too easy to devour this book in one go but that would have done it a disservice. Like the richest chocolate, I thought it was better to savour it and read a story every now and again as a treat. Individual characters and their stories will stay with me for a long time and I just know that I'll be re-reading The Method and re-visiting them for years to come. Highly recommended reading.

[Jennifer Fisher · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid little collection of short stories - enjoyed as a break from a big novel. A few good gripping moments to sink your teeth into.

[Elizabeth Ducie · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is a theme running through the stories in Tom Vowler’s debut collection: that of loss. Whether it’s the loss of a child, the end of a relationship, or losing a grip on reality, all the characters are trying to come to terms with the situations in which they find themselves. Some of the stories are very dark, especially The Method and The Last Supper. Others are more light-hearted. I was especially drawn to The Games They Play about the effect a new couple has on the dynamics of an established group of Swingers. And all writers will recognise the despair felt by the narrator of One Story, an author with a bad case of writers’ block that is not being alleviated by the G&Ts.

Vowler’s stories are beautifully written. His style is spare and stark, and sometimes the reader needs to go back and check what he has just read. The chilling tale The Little Man, which closes the collection, is told in such an understated manner that I had to read the ending twice to make sure I’d not missed anything.

If you love well-written short stories, that are just a bit different, this is a collection you will enjoy.

[Jennie · Rating 5 out of 5]

An intriguing collection of short stories that stay with you after you've finished them. Stand-out stories for me include 'Offline', and the tale of the motorcycle messiah (not giving any more details or spoilers here). The stories are arranged with the same musical ear that's required when collating a poetry collection; with love and respect for each tale.

The book quality is of a very high standard, however, you expect nothing else from Salt!

Another book that I thoroughly enjoyed and highly recommended.

[Catherine McNamara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Contemporary, British, uncluttered, compelling. Tom Vowler's prize-winning collection tugs at you, with characters whose family lives have imploded, characters who have seen and lived ugliness, men who want to shelter women with love. It is a broad-voiced and clever collection, using swift dialogue and action; it doesn't hang around being pleased with itself. Vowler's characters are shifty and shifted, searching for love, vengeance, authenticity.