Stations: Short Stories Inspired by the Overground Line

by Bartle Sawbridge (editor)

Twenty-four new short stories in homage to the East and South London section of the London Overground a story for every station from New Cross, Crystal Palace and West Croydon at the Southern extremes of the line, all the way to Highbury & Islington. From tigers in a South London suburb to retired Victorian police inspectors investigating train based thefts, from collectors of poets at Shadwell to life-changing decisions in Canonbury, by way of an art installation that defies the boundaries of a gallery, Stations takes a sideways look through the windows of the Overground train, at life as it is, or might be, lived beside the quirky, humorous and sometimes horrifying.

Genres: Short Stories

194 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2012

Reviews

[Lucy · Rating 2 out of 5]

A collection of very short stories, one for every station between Highbury & Islington and West Croydon. The majority were harmless, easy going but uneventful reads. One stood out for the wrong reasons, and if women's writing for women is to be derogatorily termed chick lit, then this only deserves to be called dick lit in return. In it, a woman of unspecified foreign origin loses her job as a live-in housekeeper upon the death of her boss, a rich old woman. She calls our male protagonist, whom she seems to have a casual relationship with, to ask for help because she is apparently unable to do or decide anything for herself, despite having managed to look after an elderly woman on her own for a number of years. The whole damsel in distress trope is frustrating, but then there are particular quotes that absolutely enraged me, e.g.:

'Hello Kristina,' he said, 'no problem, I'm pleased to help. I know you're sad, but don't you have even a little smile for me today?'
She held her fingers to the corners of her lips and pulled them up into a wan smile, before breaking into a real one. 'It's true, Richard. I am a bit sad, and have had a lot of things to think about since yesterday, but already I feel better for seeing you. Let's walk, there are three things I would like you to do for me."

...WHAT. WHAT?? Kristina, I know your boss has just died and you are out of work and all, but don't you remember that women are only there to smile at men and masturbate their egos?

Also

She brought her face to his and kissed him on the lips, keeping them there for a long time. He felt her passion and her urgency. She pressed her body tightly against his, and reached her tiny hand up and slid it inside his shirt and stroked his chest. Her eyes stayed closed, but he kept his open, alternating between looking at her white-blonde hair pulled back in a tight pony tail, and watching a yellow barge being slowly pulled down the river by a tug.
'You are a good kisser, Richard,' she said after a while. 'I thought you would be. I've been waiting for this opportunity.'

Self-congratulatory, ego-masturbating dick lit. It is unsurprising that another story in the collection by the same author involves the hero (who has taken on care of his two sons after their mother leaves the home for a relationship with someone else) calling his ex wife a whore, and telling her she will never receive a penny from him or see their children again. She tearfully agrees and simply leaves. WTAF. W.T.A.F.

I enjoyed the quirky Mr Forest Hill Station about a friendly and eccentric man who joins conversations and offers intriguing facts and tales to his fellow travellers, becoming something of a legend for the protagonist and his family.

[Gretel · Rating 2 out of 5]

I like the idea of this collection more than its execution. Some good stories, but a lot were not very engaging. West Croydon's story was very good; probably the best of the bunch along with New Cross's one. I think more of the stories should reflect London's ethnic diversity.

[Cherry Potts · Rating 5 out of 5]

And once more, I edited it and have a story in it so naturally it is superb.

[Ian · Rating 5 out of 5]

I travel from Peckham to Highbury every week so know many of the stations which makes the stories, even more, real - especially the one about Highbury & Islington as I have met the main character- or maybe his double!
Great stories even if you don't travel on the Overground.