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Looking Back
Two short stories about memory and its influence on our everyday lives. 'The Girl in the Blue Dress' is a bittersweet tale of love gained, lost and destroyed by a life-changing decision. 'The Presence of Nothing' is a short, haunted tale of one mans memory of his Grandfather while watching him die.
17 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 27, 2011
39 people want to read
About the author
Jay Finn
7 books35 followersJay grew up in a small village right in the middle of Ireland. His love of books and storytelling was obvious from an early age when aged seven, he asked Santa for a bookshelf because he had so many books strewn around his bedroom, that he felt it would be nice to be able to see all his books in one even glance. Aged seven!
Jay writes the stories that he likes to read or the stories he;d like to read but they haven't been written yet. Namely, these are stories about people 'on the edge of things.' The darker side of the human experience is something which has always appealed to him. Not in a morbid or obsessive manner, but in a way one can't help but look at a car crash should one pass one on the road.
You can find out more information about Jay at his blog (link above).
Jay writes the stories that he likes to read or the stories he;d like to read but they haven't been written yet. Namely, these are stories about people 'on the edge of things.' The darker side of the human experience is something which has always appealed to him. Not in a morbid or obsessive manner, but in a way one can't help but look at a car crash should one pass one on the road.
You can find out more information about Jay at his blog (link above).
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
November 14, 2012
I really enjoyed these two short stories. Both of them are about memories.
The first story is about a man who is tortured by a memory from years gone by. The man looks back at his life and how one decision has nagged away at his mind for a long time. The writer has a gift for storytelling, and I was hooked from the start and wanted to carry on reading, wanting to know more about the character narrating the story. It's a dark, reflective tale, and I found the ending to be thought provoking. In fact when I finished the story, I found I was thinking about this character's life. It is a very powerful story.
The second story is again about someone reflecting on his life, but in a different way. This one is more of a nostalgic type of reflection. It is more about the influence that someone has had on the character's life. It's a moving story.
I'm glad I took the time to read these stories and will be looking out for more of this author's work.
The first story is about a man who is tortured by a memory from years gone by. The man looks back at his life and how one decision has nagged away at his mind for a long time. The writer has a gift for storytelling, and I was hooked from the start and wanted to carry on reading, wanting to know more about the character narrating the story. It's a dark, reflective tale, and I found the ending to be thought provoking. In fact when I finished the story, I found I was thinking about this character's life. It is a very powerful story.
The second story is again about someone reflecting on his life, but in a different way. This one is more of a nostalgic type of reflection. It is more about the influence that someone has had on the character's life. It's a moving story.
I'm glad I took the time to read these stories and will be looking out for more of this author's work.
November 26, 2012
Simple, Beautiful, Eloquent
Jay Finn is a young writer, apparently from England if we are to believe that these two short stories are from his own memories, who opens his talent to the public with two short stories. His technique is straightforward, gently ordered, immensely readable. The content is about the tougher questions we face - those of life and death in various metaphors.
The Girl in the Blue Dress is the relating of a memory than the writer feels compelled to share, at least that is how he elects to begin his series of memories - childhood perceptions of his height, the years progressing until he is taller than some girls, meeting a girl who pays attention to him and then we are on a speedway of circumstances that begin a falling in love adventure and progress to the physical aspects of passion and lead to a pregnancy that the two - our writer and his Katie - decide to end. From there the pain of their decision allows the relationship to gradually end and our writer turns to a lonely life, only to encounter a dream state that restores his memory of a deed he wishes never occurred. The manner in which he shares this story is brief but so rich in experiential sameness that the reader cannot help but weep with him.
The Presence of Nothing is a sweet elegy for a grandfather passing, that sort of reliving of a meaningful past that comes so acutely into focus as we watch a loved on die.
Jay Finn takes us to places many of us avoid - those matters of the heart, memories of a past we cannot change - and in sharing these in such lovely prose he offers us each a pathway to finding the ability to ask for forgiveness for those moments os pain we may have elicited. This is fine writing form a young man with a talent that feels quite secure.
Grady Harp
Jay Finn is a young writer, apparently from England if we are to believe that these two short stories are from his own memories, who opens his talent to the public with two short stories. His technique is straightforward, gently ordered, immensely readable. The content is about the tougher questions we face - those of life and death in various metaphors.
The Girl in the Blue Dress is the relating of a memory than the writer feels compelled to share, at least that is how he elects to begin his series of memories - childhood perceptions of his height, the years progressing until he is taller than some girls, meeting a girl who pays attention to him and then we are on a speedway of circumstances that begin a falling in love adventure and progress to the physical aspects of passion and lead to a pregnancy that the two - our writer and his Katie - decide to end. From there the pain of their decision allows the relationship to gradually end and our writer turns to a lonely life, only to encounter a dream state that restores his memory of a deed he wishes never occurred. The manner in which he shares this story is brief but so rich in experiential sameness that the reader cannot help but weep with him.
The Presence of Nothing is a sweet elegy for a grandfather passing, that sort of reliving of a meaningful past that comes so acutely into focus as we watch a loved on die.
Jay Finn takes us to places many of us avoid - those matters of the heart, memories of a past we cannot change - and in sharing these in such lovely prose he offers us each a pathway to finding the ability to ask for forgiveness for those moments os pain we may have elicited. This is fine writing form a young man with a talent that feels quite secure.
Grady Harp
November 22, 2012
Once upon a time, I made a foolish statement that I rarely, if ever, get emotionally invested in a short story. Generally speaking, it's true. Besides Stephen King or John Connolly, I tend to abhor short stories because I see so much potential, but eventually end up disappointed in the characters - even more so if the main character is male.
How foolish I was. How very foolish.
"The Girl In The Blue Dress" made this collection for me. Which isn't to say that "The Presence of Nothing" isn't good - I just connected more with the character from "The Girl In The Blue Dress". I felt as if I knew him, as if I understood him. I felt as if I had crawled inside his brain and was just casually listening to his thoughts.
Were I judging "The Girl In The Blue Dress" alone, it would be five stars. Easily. It's a poignant reflection on life, the absence of life, and the in between.
So did I get emotional? Yes. Yes, I did. Thankfully, there were no tears. I don't care to eat my words quite that much! I will also forget my foolishness and branch into reading short stories - or at least continue to read Jay Finn's short stories.
How foolish I was. How very foolish.
"The Girl In The Blue Dress" made this collection for me. Which isn't to say that "The Presence of Nothing" isn't good - I just connected more with the character from "The Girl In The Blue Dress". I felt as if I knew him, as if I understood him. I felt as if I had crawled inside his brain and was just casually listening to his thoughts.
Were I judging "The Girl In The Blue Dress" alone, it would be five stars. Easily. It's a poignant reflection on life, the absence of life, and the in between.
So did I get emotional? Yes. Yes, I did. Thankfully, there were no tears. I don't care to eat my words quite that much! I will also forget my foolishness and branch into reading short stories - or at least continue to read Jay Finn's short stories.
March 31, 2013
Looking Back is composed of two short stories, The Girl in the Blue Dress and The Presence of Nothing. In these two stories, Jay Finn tells his tales through memories of the main character. Perhaps these are even the author’s memories fictionalized, I am not sure. In terms of craft, each of these stories is well devised, have a lead in that captures the audience, a meaningful middle, and an ending that ties the story closed. With that said, I personally enjoyed The Presence of Nothing quite a bit more than The Girl in the Blue Dress.
In The Girl in the Blue Dress, much of the tale is about Katie as seen through her boyfriend’s eyes. The tale was saturated with the feelings of guilt and shame (about the sex, pregnancy, and abortion), which made it a rather depressing piece. While truthful to some people’s natures, I still found the tale a bit dull; it held no magic for me.
In The Presence of Nothing, a man relives his memories of his grandfather as the elderly man lays dying. This tale was intense for all its brevity and held some magic and a bit of a riddle for me. Definitely worth my time.
In The Girl in the Blue Dress, much of the tale is about Katie as seen through her boyfriend’s eyes. The tale was saturated with the feelings of guilt and shame (about the sex, pregnancy, and abortion), which made it a rather depressing piece. While truthful to some people’s natures, I still found the tale a bit dull; it held no magic for me.
In The Presence of Nothing, a man relives his memories of his grandfather as the elderly man lays dying. This tale was intense for all its brevity and held some magic and a bit of a riddle for me. Definitely worth my time.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews