Pulse

by Cynan Jones

A man heads into the snow to hunt down the bear that has been taking stock from farms in the valley. A father tries to make something go right for the son he no longer lives with. A partner is called to help when a cow's labour goes horribly wrong. A fierce storm threatens to bring down a tree on powerlines over a family's home.

Fear, vulnerability, tension and resolve course through these arresting and indelible stories from one of the finest British writers at work today.

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction

192 pages, Hardcover

Published November 25, 2025

About the author

Cynan Jones was born in 1975 near Aberaeron, Wales where he now lives and works.

He is the author of five short novels, The Long Dry, Everything I Found on the Beach, Bird, Blood, Snow, The Dig, and Cove.

He has been longlisted and shortlisted for numerous international prizes and won a Society of Authors Betty Trask Award (2007), a Jerwood Fiction Uncovered Prize (2014), the Wales Book of the Year Fiction Prize (2015) and the BBC National Short Story Award (2017).

His work has been published in more than twenty countries, and short stories have appeared on BBC Radio 4 and in a number of anthologies and publications including Granta Magazine and The New Yorker. He also wrote the screenplay for an episode of the BAFTA-winning crime drama Hinterland, and Three Tales, a collection of stories for children.

The Independent on Sunday declared "There is no doubt that Jones is one of the most talented writers in Britain” and he is frequently
acknowledged as one of the most exciting voices of his generation.

His most recent work, Stillicide, is a collection of twelve stories commissioned by BBC Radio 4 that aired over the summer 2019.

He is also responsible for 'The Fart'.

Reviews

[Ruth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short stories; rural goings on; gory and spare. Cynan Jones is a writer I now adore. This book was a complete surprise (this is why you need to shop in bookshops, people).

[Wessel Mulder · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dit vond ik erg mooi, met veel plezier gelezen. Één verhaal (stock) pakte mij niet echt, maar de rest vond ik super!

[Adna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jones is an amazing writer of farm life in all the exciting, tender, gory ways - never read better prose about this topic. For this reason, Cow was the standout story of the collection for me and not the titular Pulse. But be warned that all stories do end up messing with your heart-rate momentarily…

I would have happily read Reindeer as a longer novella! Looking forward to re-reading it during the Christmas break.

[Pedro]

I went in hungry for good stories, but there wasn’t much meat on offer — just a lot of bone-chewing in the end.

[John Kennedy · Rating 3 out of 5]

The sparse, staccato style at work here will suit some readers more than others. Jones does succeed in presenting an intriguing, and at times captivating, portrayal of his central concern: our relationship with, (and too often struggle against), nature. The depictions of rural life in Wales are among the strongest elements of the collection, and the undercurrent of discomfort, angst, and occasional gore is often handled with real deftness.

“Cow” stands out as the clear high point for me. Its visceral force is compelling and electric, it left me wishing more of the collection reached the same calibre. Elsewhere, I often found myself frustrated by the extremity of Jones’s minimalism. Promising ideas and subtexts are frequently introduced only to be abandoned, as the narrative shifts without warning and refuses to linger. I wanted more space, more prose, and more time to properly absorb what Jones was gesturing toward.

The result, for me, was a reading experience that could feel abrasive and disjointed, though not without intermittent bursts of energy and inspiration. While this made parts of the book feel like a slow trudge, a more careful or perceptive reader may well derive greater satisfaction from it than I did. I can speak only to my own experience. A worthwhile experiment, but an uneven one. 3.15 stars.

[Ivan Monckton · Rating 5 out of 5]

The latest stunning work of fiction by this wonderful Welsh writer, six short stories of varying length, but all with a starkness and reality that leaves you on the edge of your seat. Sparse crisp writing, mostly farming/ rural related. Cow, a tale of lambing and a difficult carving is astonishing and surely confirms my belief Jones comes from a farming background.

[Juan Grana · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have loved all his previous books. But this collection of short stories was hard work. Not as enjoyable, despite the great writing.

[Johanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dark rural tales full of regret - well written, just not particularly my cup of tea

[Johan Gevers · Rating 2 out of 5]

Onvoldoende verhalen kunnen smaken omdat il een te groot gevecht moest leveren met de Engelse taal. Wellicht in vertaling te herlezen om jet schrijven meer naar waarde te schatten.