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24 Stories: of Hope for Survivors of the Grenfell Tower Fire
In the early hours of 14 June 2017, a fire engulfed the 24-storey Grenfell Tower in west London, killing at least 72 people and injuring many more. An entire community was destroyed. For many people affected by this tragedy, the psychological scars may never heal.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is a condition that affects many people who have endured traumatic events, leaving them unable to move on from life-changing tragedies. In the immediate aftermath of the fire, the focus was rightly placed on providing food, shelter and health care for those left homeless – but it is important that we don’t lose sight of the psychological impact this fire will have had on its survivors.
24 Stories is an anthology of short stories, written on themes of community and hope, by a mix of the UK’s best established writers and previously unpublished authors, whose pieces were chosen by Kathy Burke from over 250 entries.
Contributors include: Irvine Welsh, A. L. Kennedy, Meera Syal, John Niven, Pauline Melville, Daisy Buchanan, Christopher Brookmyre, Zoe Venditozzi, Nina Stibbe, Mike Gayle, Murray Lachlan Young, Barney Farmer.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is a condition that affects many people who have endured traumatic events, leaving them unable to move on from life-changing tragedies. In the immediate aftermath of the fire, the focus was rightly placed on providing food, shelter and health care for those left homeless – but it is important that we don’t lose sight of the psychological impact this fire will have had on its survivors.
24 Stories is an anthology of short stories, written on themes of community and hope, by a mix of the UK’s best established writers and previously unpublished authors, whose pieces were chosen by Kathy Burke from over 250 entries.
Contributors include: Irvine Welsh, A. L. Kennedy, Meera Syal, John Niven, Pauline Melville, Daisy Buchanan, Christopher Brookmyre, Zoe Venditozzi, Nina Stibbe, Mike Gayle, Murray Lachlan Young, Barney Farmer.
- GenresShort StoriesFiction
217 pages, Paperback
First published June 14, 2018
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156 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
July 5, 2018
My routine was much as usual on the morning of Wednesday 14th June 2017: I arose early for work, fed the chickens, settled myself at the kitchen table for my first cuppa of the day and switched the TV on to watch BBC News.
For several seconds I stared vacantly at the screen, unable to comprehend the shocking nature of the images I was seeing. There was a man sobbing incoherently to a reporter and emergency services vehicles illuminating huddles of grim-faced onlookers in their flickering lights. It began to make sense when the picture jumped to a high-rise block of flats of the sort you find in cities throughout the UK, except this one had taken on the appearance of an immense Chinese lantern burning uncontrollably over a sleeping city.
This was Grenfell Tower, a 24-storey Brutalist-style residential tower block in North Kensington, home to a tight-knit community of families, elderly folk, young couples and all manner of ordinary working-class people. At about 00:50 BST a fridge-freezer caught fire in a flat on the 4th floor. The resident did not have an extinguisher but called London Fire Brigade at 00.54 BST and warned his neighbours. The first crews arrived six minutes later – at one point there were over 250 firefighters at work in and around the building – but they were powerless to prevent the blaze from spreading to other floors.
Grenfell burned for 24 hours causing over 70 injuries and 72 deaths, including one stillborn baby. Of the 223 people who escaped or were rescued from the burning building, most, if not all, were badly traumatised by their experiences that night.
THE BOOK
On the first anniversary of the fire came something positive: publication of 24 Stories: of Hope for Survivors of the Grenfell Tower Fire, an anthology of short stories “in aid of the PTSD-related needs of the survivors”. The collection was written “on themes of community and hope, by a mix of some of the UK's best established writers and previously unpublished authors.” It was compiled in response to the disaster by the nation's much-loved actress, comedian, playwright and theatre director Kathy Burke, along with Paul Jenkins, Rhona Martin and Steve Thompson.
There is a Foreword by Dr Dean Burnett, entitled PTSD Explained, in which he describes Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in simple and humorous terms – he has a right to do this because he himself has lived with the condition for many years.
The stories are mostly about ordinary people: not necessarily connected with the Grenfell fire, not all set in England's capital (though many are). A lack of trust for those in authority and the importance of community coming together are common themes in these tales, as are narratives touching on love, desire, mental health, loneliness, discrimination, fear and anger. Most display scathing humour and pathos in equal measures, but the quality of the writing is such that if you were to remove the names of the creators from their compositions, you would be hard pressed to tell which ones had been written by the successful authors.
I was fortunate to obtain tickets to see Kathy Burke in conversation with John Mitchinson at Hay Festival in May. She came especially to promote 24 Stories and, after chatting about the tragedy and the book, read out Irvine Welsh's darkly funny, Seventeen-Storey Love Song. She was joined on the Baillie Gifford Stage by popular author, Nina Stibbe, who refused to read her own piece but selected extracts from Pauline Melville's excellent Singing In The Dark Times, which is set on the day of the fire. While there I purchased a copy of the book and had it signed by both women in the official book shop.
24 Stories: of Hope for Survivors of the Grenfell Tower Fire was published by Unbound. You can buy a limited edition copy direct from its website or alternatively, pick up a regular copy from most major book stores. 100% of the author proceeds from the sale of the book will be donated to Trauma Response Network.
You can read my reviews and other literary features at Book Jotter.
For several seconds I stared vacantly at the screen, unable to comprehend the shocking nature of the images I was seeing. There was a man sobbing incoherently to a reporter and emergency services vehicles illuminating huddles of grim-faced onlookers in their flickering lights. It began to make sense when the picture jumped to a high-rise block of flats of the sort you find in cities throughout the UK, except this one had taken on the appearance of an immense Chinese lantern burning uncontrollably over a sleeping city.
This was Grenfell Tower, a 24-storey Brutalist-style residential tower block in North Kensington, home to a tight-knit community of families, elderly folk, young couples and all manner of ordinary working-class people. At about 00:50 BST a fridge-freezer caught fire in a flat on the 4th floor. The resident did not have an extinguisher but called London Fire Brigade at 00.54 BST and warned his neighbours. The first crews arrived six minutes later – at one point there were over 250 firefighters at work in and around the building – but they were powerless to prevent the blaze from spreading to other floors.
Grenfell burned for 24 hours causing over 70 injuries and 72 deaths, including one stillborn baby. Of the 223 people who escaped or were rescued from the burning building, most, if not all, were badly traumatised by their experiences that night.
THE BOOK
On the first anniversary of the fire came something positive: publication of 24 Stories: of Hope for Survivors of the Grenfell Tower Fire, an anthology of short stories “in aid of the PTSD-related needs of the survivors”. The collection was written “on themes of community and hope, by a mix of some of the UK's best established writers and previously unpublished authors.” It was compiled in response to the disaster by the nation's much-loved actress, comedian, playwright and theatre director Kathy Burke, along with Paul Jenkins, Rhona Martin and Steve Thompson.
There is a Foreword by Dr Dean Burnett, entitled PTSD Explained, in which he describes Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in simple and humorous terms – he has a right to do this because he himself has lived with the condition for many years.
The stories are mostly about ordinary people: not necessarily connected with the Grenfell fire, not all set in England's capital (though many are). A lack of trust for those in authority and the importance of community coming together are common themes in these tales, as are narratives touching on love, desire, mental health, loneliness, discrimination, fear and anger. Most display scathing humour and pathos in equal measures, but the quality of the writing is such that if you were to remove the names of the creators from their compositions, you would be hard pressed to tell which ones had been written by the successful authors.
I was fortunate to obtain tickets to see Kathy Burke in conversation with John Mitchinson at Hay Festival in May. She came especially to promote 24 Stories and, after chatting about the tragedy and the book, read out Irvine Welsh's darkly funny, Seventeen-Storey Love Song. She was joined on the Baillie Gifford Stage by popular author, Nina Stibbe, who refused to read her own piece but selected extracts from Pauline Melville's excellent Singing In The Dark Times, which is set on the day of the fire. While there I purchased a copy of the book and had it signed by both women in the official book shop.
24 Stories: of Hope for Survivors of the Grenfell Tower Fire was published by Unbound. You can buy a limited edition copy direct from its website or alternatively, pick up a regular copy from most major book stores. 100% of the author proceeds from the sale of the book will be donated to Trauma Response Network.
You can read my reviews and other literary features at Book Jotter.
June 14, 2018
This anthology brings together an energetic selection of short stories. Although diverse in content, themes of lostness, displacement, grief, and the search for home, recur.
Grenfell. The terribleness of the event needs no emphasis, but I’m glad that via projects such as this short story collection, and more high profile avenues, it is being kept at the forefront of minds. More importantly, the trauma inevitable in the aftermath of this tragedy should not be underestimated. The collection opens with a plainly spoken forward from Dr Dean Burnett, in which he goes on to describe the mechanisms and processes of PTSD. The book is worth having a look at for this alone. Time only heals if that time is spent dealing - there is no shortcut to addressing trauma, and those affected will be for the rest of their lives. The way this trauma manifests can be helped with the right intervention.
As with short story collections, there are some pieces to my taste and some not really for me. Irvine Welsh has a cheeky little number, and Christopher Brookmyre’s Out of the Flesh is a pleasing take on investigative small-town folk horror. These two stood out to me, but there’s plenty to satisfy opposing predilections.
A well thought out and layered collection that’s worth supporting.
Grenfell. The terribleness of the event needs no emphasis, but I’m glad that via projects such as this short story collection, and more high profile avenues, it is being kept at the forefront of minds. More importantly, the trauma inevitable in the aftermath of this tragedy should not be underestimated. The collection opens with a plainly spoken forward from Dr Dean Burnett, in which he goes on to describe the mechanisms and processes of PTSD. The book is worth having a look at for this alone. Time only heals if that time is spent dealing - there is no shortcut to addressing trauma, and those affected will be for the rest of their lives. The way this trauma manifests can be helped with the right intervention.
As with short story collections, there are some pieces to my taste and some not really for me. Irvine Welsh has a cheeky little number, and Christopher Brookmyre’s Out of the Flesh is a pleasing take on investigative small-town folk horror. These two stood out to me, but there’s plenty to satisfy opposing predilections.
A well thought out and layered collection that’s worth supporting.
June 17, 2018
Full disclosure: I contributed a story to this collection.
My story aside, though, I genuinely believe that this book has something for everyone. Once of the most gratifying things about being involved in this project is discovering that every single reader seems to respond to something different. There are those who love the fun twist of the Chris Brookmyre story; others love the dark, funny amoral tale from Irvine Welsh. Many have spoken to me about the beautiful prose of AL Kennedy's piece, or the touching tales of Mike Gayle, Meera Syal and Nina Stibbe.
From my admittedly biased perspective, this volume seems to me a prime example of what anthologies do best: showcase a variety of interpretations of one single idea. The themes of this book- community and hope- are investigated, explored and celebrated throughout the collection, and it is like their meanings expand with each story. I know that the concepts of community and hope are important ones in our current climate, and can feel in short supply for many; if this book has a single message, it is to demonstrate how crucial they still are.
All proceeds of this book go to Trauma Response Network- a charity who ensure that people suffering from trauma and PTSD after violent events such as Grenfell tower get the attention and therapy they need.
I urge everyone who enjoys reading short stories to check it out.
My story aside, though, I genuinely believe that this book has something for everyone. Once of the most gratifying things about being involved in this project is discovering that every single reader seems to respond to something different. There are those who love the fun twist of the Chris Brookmyre story; others love the dark, funny amoral tale from Irvine Welsh. Many have spoken to me about the beautiful prose of AL Kennedy's piece, or the touching tales of Mike Gayle, Meera Syal and Nina Stibbe.
From my admittedly biased perspective, this volume seems to me a prime example of what anthologies do best: showcase a variety of interpretations of one single idea. The themes of this book- community and hope- are investigated, explored and celebrated throughout the collection, and it is like their meanings expand with each story. I know that the concepts of community and hope are important ones in our current climate, and can feel in short supply for many; if this book has a single message, it is to demonstrate how crucial they still are.
All proceeds of this book go to Trauma Response Network- a charity who ensure that people suffering from trauma and PTSD after violent events such as Grenfell tower get the attention and therapy they need.
I urge everyone who enjoys reading short stories to check it out.
July 28, 2018
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.
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.
April 16, 2019
24 stories is an anthology in aid of the survivors of the Grenfell Tower Fire that took place on 14th June 2017. It was published on the first anniversary of that event. The stories have been put together to help those that have PTSD and challenges with their mental health following what happened at Grenfell. I loved the majority of these. They kept me hanging on for more and I connected to the various characters straight away. I love it when a story collection just works for you. My favourites were so many. From the girl who plays cricket with the boys, to the Jungle Calais camp to the man who uses his back as a means for those drowning to get to safety. The stories are mostly about ordinary people: not necessarily connected with the fire, though some are. A lack of trust for those in authority and the importance of community coming together are common themes. They are all poignant, some are only a few pages but each has a hint of bravery and strength, showing that it can come in different forms and maybe, we really can all do our little bit.
Highly recommended.
P.S. According to one story, if you give someone daffodils that means you have a caring regard for them. I thought that was SO heartwarming.
Rating 4.5.
Highly recommended.
P.S. According to one story, if you give someone daffodils that means you have a caring regard for them. I thought that was SO heartwarming.
Rating 4.5.
October 13, 2018
Finished. What an amazing collection of short stories, by both well-known and new writers. ALL the stories where written to give hope for the survivors of the Grenfell Tower inferno. It was published on the first anniversary of the disaster, namely 14 June 2018. An amazing array of 24 stories, all of which were well written. My favourites were: 'Seventeen Storey Love Song', 'Bad At Bay', 'Singing In The Dark Times', 'We Have Now', 'The Dish With The Dancing Cow's, and 'The Good Sandyman'. Saying they are my favourites does not lessen how good the rest of the stories were. Brilliant book. Very highly recommend!!
June 30, 2019
“It was compiled in response to the fire on 14 June 2017 and published on the first anniversary of that tragic event.” (Back cover) I got it from the ‘signed books table’ at the Hay Festival 2018 (so it must have been available there before the precise date), started reading it last year & picked it up again earlier on in this my year of renewed reading; initially I took in one story after each full-length book I finished. It consists of 24 short stories, recognising that the tower stands 24 storeys high, & a poem, as well as a foreword & an introduction…
It’s hard to review a book that can only be described as a triumph; these certainly are stories of hope; also of humanity & horror & not a little bit of perspective shifting too. Some of the stories directly or more obliquely reference the fire or other actual disasters; some are lovely, stand-alone stories which just speak to struggles & successes & absurdities in the turmoil of every day life; others are a bit weird & fantastical or occasionally more difficult to understand. I wrote a mini-description of each one, so I might just as well just put them here…
‘The Language of Flowers’ by Nina Stibbe is the 1st story. It’s about moving away & not fitting in & awkward situations & the meaning of different flowers given as gifts & seeking solace wherever we can find it & the cruelty of human beings & the impossibility of ever being masters of our own destiny.
‘A Toddler Could Do England’ by Paul Jenkins is the 2nd story & is about a father & son who make national flag bacon sandwiches with the artistic use of ketchup... they become famous & synonymous with England’s performance at international football tournaments, win or lose!
‘Seventeen-Storey Love Song’ by Irvine Welsh is the 3rd story & is astonishing... it’s about a woman falling off a roof in New York, we assume to her death; we calmly hear her thoughts about her relationships, her life, her little preoccupations, her moments before she fell... & the resolution... it’s so about the fire, about how we make sense of our lives in the face of impending & unexpected death; & it’s surprising, a relief & not a little unlikely!
‘The Ghost of Jungle’ by Julian Gyll-Murray is the 4th story; it’s about a child at a refugee camp called ‘Jungle’, was that the one in Calais? She’s met by a friend, or her sister?, who had died & appears as a ghost, wet & filthy, implying she drowned in the mediterranean. She joins other children playing cricket & finds she’s one of the best. Bad news sends disruption, fear & uncertainty through the already traumatised camp & the young cricketers play on; movement (the fights & disputes & the children on the pitch) can bring progress, finding stillness in the movement can change perspectives.
‘A Bridge’ by Dan Rebellato is the 5th story; a man on the sinking ‘Herald of Free Enterprise’ ferry in 1987 lies across a gap in the upturned wreck so people can walk across him to safety.
‘Bad At Bay’ by John Fidler is the 6th story; it’s told by a human statue who tells us these performance artists are actually sentries protecting the world from demons who are trying to break through to eat humans; & he’s recruiting us to join them!
‘Oh, My Hopeless Wanderer’ by Zoe Venditozzi is the 7th story; a new mum walking her baby in his pram & a young girl from Poland bond, briefly, in reviving a bird found motionless by the pavement; I think they’ll become friends as the days unfold & they come across each other again but we’re not sure; there’s a potential poignancy that they might not ever see each other again despite each finding a kindred spirit in the other; it also speaks of that interplay for introverts between loving time alone & still needing company…
‘Nearly There’ by Joanna Campbell is the 8th story; I loved it; everything I like at the moment seems to have some sort of personal echo… things getting back to normal - maybe - life never quite the same… everything a mirror image, reliable but ‘off’ somehow; adventures into the unknown amidst new life, exciting, unsettling arrivals… a well chosen story in an anthology of hope. 5 stars if I could rate just this one!
‘Singing in the Dark Times’ by Pauline Melville is the 9th story. Essentially it’s about a quirky homeless man who comes across the Grenfell Tower fire relief effort, gets given some bedding by a family after being shouted away by officials & then sings a beautiful song from outside the hall where people are sheltering. It’s short, surprising & poignant.
‘The Free Skater’ by Susan E. Barsby is the 10th story & it’s delightful; “He was here... just him... Everything else had faded away... all of it finally quiet.” In secret skating he finds success in life’s constant search for ways to silence the chatter in his head. I need my own secret skating.
‘Am Sontag’ by A. L. Kennedy is the 11th story & is an incredible well written, deliberately elusive piece of writing describing what appears to be someone re-emerging from a traumatic experience... we can’t quite work out what’s going on, it’s never fully explained, even at the end & nothing quite makes sense; we don’t trust what’s going on, we’re alert to danger, we don’t believe all the signs that we’re safe... “It will be terrible, this surviving.”
‘We Have Now’ by Kat Day is the 12th story; it’s a short glimpse into a daughter’s attempts to share a moment & some memories with her father, who has dementia. Somehow it manages to convey the heartbreaking poignancy of irretrievable loss without losing the gentle satisfaction of a simple pleasure. It’s about how the things we come to rely on never last forever; we have to change our expectations, shift our focus & concentrate on what we have now... maybe a hopeful call to a mindful appreciation of what we have rather than losing everything because we no longer have it all..?
‘We Rehouse You’ by Barney Farmer is the 13th story; a 2 page graphic short story (well, a comic strip really) raging about the dreadful failure of the local authority to re-house families displaced by the Grenfell Tower fire. It’s hard to find any hope here. So frustrating.
‘A Poem For All Those Wondering What It’s All About’ by Murray Lachlan Young is a bit beyond me to be honest. It leaves me wondering what it’s all about; hard not to conclude it’s just a bit of nonsense.
’Shifa’’ by Yasmina Floyer is the 14th story; it’s about a young woman fleeing & hiding again from persecution who cares for an injured bird just as a neighbour cares for her by leaving bread & milk at her door.
‘Peace’ by Daisy Buchanan is the 15th Story; it’s about peace & understanding & a girl who’s friend tattoos a peace sign on her foot the day before her mother volunteers her for the Maundy Thursday foot washing at the local Catholic Church… there’s hope here when some years later her mother gets the same tattoo…
‘Celia Citizen’ by L A Craig is the 16th story; an elderly woman co-ordinating Neighbourhood Watch can’t make up her mind if she feels part of things or wants to stay aloof... I think it’s about community but the style it’s written in & ambivalence about its subject puts me off.
‘The Good Sandyman’ by Mike Gayle is the 17th story; a boy on his bike goes back to help up an old man who’s fallen, despite his suspicious, initial refusal of help. Nice sentiment but I’m not sure it works, the character’s not that well observed.
‘The Martisoare’ by J L Hall is the 18th story; a Romanian couple hang traditional, lucky trinkets, martisoare, on a tree every year for good fortune & one day find someone else has done the same... “It’s never just us. There are always others.”
‘Out of the Flesh’ by Christopher Brookmyre is the 19th story; a house owner ties an intruder to a chair & tells the tale of two teenaged burglars who are scared into reforming when they are lured into a staged, satanic ritual... restorative justice or retribution?
‘Single Speed’ by Joel Blackledge is the 20th story; it’s about a girl who gets a bike with only one gear for Christmas... I probably missed the point!
‘The Dish With The Dancing Cows’ by Meera Syal is the 21st story; a family lives next door to an old woman who bangs on the wall whenever they make the slightest noise. After the father/husband dies the kids find a way to reach out with food in a dish they needed to return; it turns out the father/husband had told the neighbour to bang on the wall if she needed their help, but never told the rest of the family. Seems a bit tight. Maybe I don’t get it.
‘33 RPM’ by Mark McCloughlin is the 22nd story; a boy is briefly captivated by the records his piano teacher plays after he’s gone; he wonders about her previous life & enjoys one afternoon listening to the music with her but soon stops having lessons; years later she leaves the records to him in her will.
‘The Dreamers’ by John Niven is the 23rd story & is a short, powerful snapshot of the experience of one person, one family, caught up in the Grenfell Tower Fire. It conveys how close to the edge of destitution people live, how close they came to death, how tenuous our hold on life & success is, how frightening disaster can be & how close to everyday reality disaster is.
‘Cannonball Ashtrays’ by S J Thompson is the 24th & last story & is about a guy evicted from the pub he owned by the pub chain company who becomes homeless & falls in love with the woman at a centre he finds who did pottery with him. There’s something straightforward, not at all cheesy, gently hopeful about it.
I’d thoroughly recommend this to anyone, particularly if you want to contribute to the Trauma Response Network, where all proceeds from the sale of the book are being donated, but also if you want a stimulating, poignant, funny & rewarding read, which has merit whatever its origins & good cause.
It’s hard to review a book that can only be described as a triumph; these certainly are stories of hope; also of humanity & horror & not a little bit of perspective shifting too. Some of the stories directly or more obliquely reference the fire or other actual disasters; some are lovely, stand-alone stories which just speak to struggles & successes & absurdities in the turmoil of every day life; others are a bit weird & fantastical or occasionally more difficult to understand. I wrote a mini-description of each one, so I might just as well just put them here…
‘The Language of Flowers’ by Nina Stibbe is the 1st story. It’s about moving away & not fitting in & awkward situations & the meaning of different flowers given as gifts & seeking solace wherever we can find it & the cruelty of human beings & the impossibility of ever being masters of our own destiny.
‘A Toddler Could Do England’ by Paul Jenkins is the 2nd story & is about a father & son who make national flag bacon sandwiches with the artistic use of ketchup... they become famous & synonymous with England’s performance at international football tournaments, win or lose!
‘Seventeen-Storey Love Song’ by Irvine Welsh is the 3rd story & is astonishing... it’s about a woman falling off a roof in New York, we assume to her death; we calmly hear her thoughts about her relationships, her life, her little preoccupations, her moments before she fell... & the resolution... it’s so about the fire, about how we make sense of our lives in the face of impending & unexpected death; & it’s surprising, a relief & not a little unlikely!
‘The Ghost of Jungle’ by Julian Gyll-Murray is the 4th story; it’s about a child at a refugee camp called ‘Jungle’, was that the one in Calais? She’s met by a friend, or her sister?, who had died & appears as a ghost, wet & filthy, implying she drowned in the mediterranean. She joins other children playing cricket & finds she’s one of the best. Bad news sends disruption, fear & uncertainty through the already traumatised camp & the young cricketers play on; movement (the fights & disputes & the children on the pitch) can bring progress, finding stillness in the movement can change perspectives.
‘A Bridge’ by Dan Rebellato is the 5th story; a man on the sinking ‘Herald of Free Enterprise’ ferry in 1987 lies across a gap in the upturned wreck so people can walk across him to safety.
‘Bad At Bay’ by John Fidler is the 6th story; it’s told by a human statue who tells us these performance artists are actually sentries protecting the world from demons who are trying to break through to eat humans; & he’s recruiting us to join them!
‘Oh, My Hopeless Wanderer’ by Zoe Venditozzi is the 7th story; a new mum walking her baby in his pram & a young girl from Poland bond, briefly, in reviving a bird found motionless by the pavement; I think they’ll become friends as the days unfold & they come across each other again but we’re not sure; there’s a potential poignancy that they might not ever see each other again despite each finding a kindred spirit in the other; it also speaks of that interplay for introverts between loving time alone & still needing company…
‘Nearly There’ by Joanna Campbell is the 8th story; I loved it; everything I like at the moment seems to have some sort of personal echo… things getting back to normal - maybe - life never quite the same… everything a mirror image, reliable but ‘off’ somehow; adventures into the unknown amidst new life, exciting, unsettling arrivals… a well chosen story in an anthology of hope. 5 stars if I could rate just this one!
‘Singing in the Dark Times’ by Pauline Melville is the 9th story. Essentially it’s about a quirky homeless man who comes across the Grenfell Tower fire relief effort, gets given some bedding by a family after being shouted away by officials & then sings a beautiful song from outside the hall where people are sheltering. It’s short, surprising & poignant.
‘The Free Skater’ by Susan E. Barsby is the 10th story & it’s delightful; “He was here... just him... Everything else had faded away... all of it finally quiet.” In secret skating he finds success in life’s constant search for ways to silence the chatter in his head. I need my own secret skating.
‘Am Sontag’ by A. L. Kennedy is the 11th story & is an incredible well written, deliberately elusive piece of writing describing what appears to be someone re-emerging from a traumatic experience... we can’t quite work out what’s going on, it’s never fully explained, even at the end & nothing quite makes sense; we don’t trust what’s going on, we’re alert to danger, we don’t believe all the signs that we’re safe... “It will be terrible, this surviving.”
‘We Have Now’ by Kat Day is the 12th story; it’s a short glimpse into a daughter’s attempts to share a moment & some memories with her father, who has dementia. Somehow it manages to convey the heartbreaking poignancy of irretrievable loss without losing the gentle satisfaction of a simple pleasure. It’s about how the things we come to rely on never last forever; we have to change our expectations, shift our focus & concentrate on what we have now... maybe a hopeful call to a mindful appreciation of what we have rather than losing everything because we no longer have it all..?
‘We Rehouse You’ by Barney Farmer is the 13th story; a 2 page graphic short story (well, a comic strip really) raging about the dreadful failure of the local authority to re-house families displaced by the Grenfell Tower fire. It’s hard to find any hope here. So frustrating.
‘A Poem For All Those Wondering What It’s All About’ by Murray Lachlan Young is a bit beyond me to be honest. It leaves me wondering what it’s all about; hard not to conclude it’s just a bit of nonsense.
’Shifa’’ by Yasmina Floyer is the 14th story; it’s about a young woman fleeing & hiding again from persecution who cares for an injured bird just as a neighbour cares for her by leaving bread & milk at her door.
‘Peace’ by Daisy Buchanan is the 15th Story; it’s about peace & understanding & a girl who’s friend tattoos a peace sign on her foot the day before her mother volunteers her for the Maundy Thursday foot washing at the local Catholic Church… there’s hope here when some years later her mother gets the same tattoo…
‘Celia Citizen’ by L A Craig is the 16th story; an elderly woman co-ordinating Neighbourhood Watch can’t make up her mind if she feels part of things or wants to stay aloof... I think it’s about community but the style it’s written in & ambivalence about its subject puts me off.
‘The Good Sandyman’ by Mike Gayle is the 17th story; a boy on his bike goes back to help up an old man who’s fallen, despite his suspicious, initial refusal of help. Nice sentiment but I’m not sure it works, the character’s not that well observed.
‘The Martisoare’ by J L Hall is the 18th story; a Romanian couple hang traditional, lucky trinkets, martisoare, on a tree every year for good fortune & one day find someone else has done the same... “It’s never just us. There are always others.”
‘Out of the Flesh’ by Christopher Brookmyre is the 19th story; a house owner ties an intruder to a chair & tells the tale of two teenaged burglars who are scared into reforming when they are lured into a staged, satanic ritual... restorative justice or retribution?
‘Single Speed’ by Joel Blackledge is the 20th story; it’s about a girl who gets a bike with only one gear for Christmas... I probably missed the point!
‘The Dish With The Dancing Cows’ by Meera Syal is the 21st story; a family lives next door to an old woman who bangs on the wall whenever they make the slightest noise. After the father/husband dies the kids find a way to reach out with food in a dish they needed to return; it turns out the father/husband had told the neighbour to bang on the wall if she needed their help, but never told the rest of the family. Seems a bit tight. Maybe I don’t get it.
‘33 RPM’ by Mark McCloughlin is the 22nd story; a boy is briefly captivated by the records his piano teacher plays after he’s gone; he wonders about her previous life & enjoys one afternoon listening to the music with her but soon stops having lessons; years later she leaves the records to him in her will.
‘The Dreamers’ by John Niven is the 23rd story & is a short, powerful snapshot of the experience of one person, one family, caught up in the Grenfell Tower Fire. It conveys how close to the edge of destitution people live, how close they came to death, how tenuous our hold on life & success is, how frightening disaster can be & how close to everyday reality disaster is.
‘Cannonball Ashtrays’ by S J Thompson is the 24th & last story & is about a guy evicted from the pub he owned by the pub chain company who becomes homeless & falls in love with the woman at a centre he finds who did pottery with him. There’s something straightforward, not at all cheesy, gently hopeful about it.
I’d thoroughly recommend this to anyone, particularly if you want to contribute to the Trauma Response Network, where all proceeds from the sale of the book are being donated, but also if you want a stimulating, poignant, funny & rewarding read, which has merit whatever its origins & good cause.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 3, 2018
A beautiful collection of short stories about life, community, loss and hope. Many of the stories made me cry and many others made me smile. A wonderful collection from some very talented writers.
August 29, 2018
As soon as I saw this book on Twitter I bought a copy. Not only will sales raise funds for the survivors of the dreadful tragedy that is the Grenfell Tower, it also contains stories from some of my favourite authors. The brief for authors was that the story had to be uplifting, positive and hopeful. There are 24 stories, one for each of the storeys of Grenfell.
The book begins with a foreward written by Dr Dean Burnett in which he explains, in simple but effective language, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. I'd advise everyone to read this forward before going on to read the stories, it's informative and explains so much about PTSD, and as Dr Burnett has lived with the condition himself for many years, he's the perfect person to write this piece.
As with most short story anthologies, I enjoyed some of these more than others. The opener, from Nina Stibbe; 'The Language of Flowers' is a fabulous beginning from an author who I really admire. I also really enjoyed the contributions from Joanna Campbell, Christopher Brookmyre and Mike Gayle.
The beauty in this collection is the eclectic mix of authors and writing styles, and that the subjects are ordinary people; just like those affected by the fire. Some are funny, all are poignant.
This is a very well put together collection of stories, with themes of love and hope and searching for home
The book begins with a foreward written by Dr Dean Burnett in which he explains, in simple but effective language, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. I'd advise everyone to read this forward before going on to read the stories, it's informative and explains so much about PTSD, and as Dr Burnett has lived with the condition himself for many years, he's the perfect person to write this piece.
As with most short story anthologies, I enjoyed some of these more than others. The opener, from Nina Stibbe; 'The Language of Flowers' is a fabulous beginning from an author who I really admire. I also really enjoyed the contributions from Joanna Campbell, Christopher Brookmyre and Mike Gayle.
The beauty in this collection is the eclectic mix of authors and writing styles, and that the subjects are ordinary people; just like those affected by the fire. Some are funny, all are poignant.
This is a very well put together collection of stories, with themes of love and hope and searching for home
October 23, 2018
Highly recommended: a chance to sample the work of writers you haven't read before, in company with some of the greats (Irvine Welsh, A.L. Kennedy), all to raise to money for a PTSD charity. Published on the anniversary of the Grenfell Tower Fire. Congratulations to Paul Jenkins, Kathy Burke and all.
July 9, 2018
go out, buy this book and read it. now. (or ask me and I'll lend it you)
August 4, 2018
A lovely collection, full of talent, and put together for a very worthy cause. Some heartwarming stories, if not a bit too overly sentimental. Only one story I can say I disliked.
November 24, 2018
Poetic. ❤️
January 19, 2025
Just finished this book and enjoyed some of the stories. It was a good book to read with short stories if you don't have time to read a lot. Some of the stories are just a few pages. Some stories refer to the Grenfell tower but this book is #24storiesofhopeforsurvivorsofgrenfelltower. Some I didn't enjoy but others I really did.
August 28, 2018
A great collection of short stories, which are an art in themselves to write, and a joy to read. Diverse, challenging, interesting, and for a great cause. Recommended.
February 12, 2019
Difficult to rate, as some stories I really liked, whereas others I wasn't keen on. Great project and cause though, obviously.
March 13, 2019
A very good collection of stories.
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July 18, 2019A wonderful dedication to those who lost their homes in the fires of Grenfell Tower. Each story unique and mystifying, crafting a moral and ethical viewpoint of life in the U.K.
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