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Once
Once: A selection of short short stories brings together the best of new flash, micro and hybrid fiction in Western Australia. Thirty rising and established authors write big ideas in small spaces. Funny, ironic, thoughtful and sharp, these fresh stories of extreme brevity will have you thinking, laughing and ultimately hooked on this exciting new genre.
112 pages, Paperback
First published January 18, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
February 4, 2020
I picked this little book up at Rabble independent bookstore not knowing anything about it. I just liked the cover and the idea of short short stories intrigued me. I thought it was something I could dip into now and again. I could not put this book down and read it in one sitting! So many different authors with different styles but all of them made me think, laugh out loud, or be very moved. This is a new style of reading for me and the short shorts are something I'm now hooked on. My particular favourite stories were Exclamation Marks, Whisky and Rumours, Toothpaste - actually, this list will go on forever. All the stories were good - and I mean ALL! Now I am inspired to have a go at writing these little gems. Highly recommended.
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February 12, 2020This review was first published on the Underground Writers website, in issue 29: http://underground-writers.org/shop/?...
This debut book from Night Parrot Press launched onto the scene in mid-January at a highly
attended shindig at Wolf Lane. The collection brings together thirty writers from around Western Australia in their amusing, thoughtful and necessarily brief fiction. As Linda and Laura write in the
introduction, ‘Flash challenges the writer to create within a space that seems impossible.’They are meant to create all the same emotions of a longer piece whilst simultaneously leaving you wondering ‘about their trajectory long after you have read them’.
The collection certainly delivers on that promise, its stories ranging from poignant to laugh-out-loud amusing. I found myself eager to share some of the thoughtful and witty stories with anyone who would listen—the great thing about flash fiction is that it doesn’t take long to read, but it can take a long time to talk about!
I immediately fell in love with Amy Budrikis’s Toothpaste after hearing her recite it at the launch. A humorous reflection on the way toothpaste is sold to us as a life-changing product, it also subtly reflects on the ridiculousness of modern beauty and the way our minds romanticise it. Like the impacts of having incredibly white teeth.
A number of stories investigated human behaviour and emotion in the form of animals. A Day at the Zoo by Martin Lindsay, Bob the Cockroach by Olivier Breton and Kangaroo by Linda Martin were three such stories, all rounded with strong closing lines that tipped the stories on their heads. Each sat somewhere between bemusement and disgust in their accounts of human behaviour.
Meanwhile, as the lovechild of short stories and poetry is wont to do, there was also plenty of investigation into love. Pillow Talk by Mabel Gibson perused the ways we grow to love one another while This by Sabien Wilde took Gibson’s story to the painful imagined end of growing apart.
For all of the seriousness in these pages however, there is pleasure and hope. Shannon Jade’s Countable Infinities encompassed all of this in one-and-a-half pages with young Jemma counting all the things that make up her life, before settling to count on hope. This particular story took my breath away and required a moment to sit and reflect.
There were so many delightful moments in this collection, far too many to mention here. The most satisfying part is reading a story and not really thinking much of it until you’re running errands, or working on something else, watching TV, and suddenly the story comes back to you. You see it in a new light. Just as satisfying is the moment you tie two seemingly separate stories together in any number of infinite combinations.
The cover is understated, just like flash fiction often is. The book size is smaller than usual, just like flash fiction is. And just like flash fiction, this book packs a punch. It does sit with you, long after you put it down, and the stories follow you long after you think you’ve finished thinking about them. A fabulous debut from WA’s newest publisher.
This debut book from Night Parrot Press launched onto the scene in mid-January at a highly
attended shindig at Wolf Lane. The collection brings together thirty writers from around Western Australia in their amusing, thoughtful and necessarily brief fiction. As Linda and Laura write in the
introduction, ‘Flash challenges the writer to create within a space that seems impossible.’They are meant to create all the same emotions of a longer piece whilst simultaneously leaving you wondering ‘about their trajectory long after you have read them’.
The collection certainly delivers on that promise, its stories ranging from poignant to laugh-out-loud amusing. I found myself eager to share some of the thoughtful and witty stories with anyone who would listen—the great thing about flash fiction is that it doesn’t take long to read, but it can take a long time to talk about!
I immediately fell in love with Amy Budrikis’s Toothpaste after hearing her recite it at the launch. A humorous reflection on the way toothpaste is sold to us as a life-changing product, it also subtly reflects on the ridiculousness of modern beauty and the way our minds romanticise it. Like the impacts of having incredibly white teeth.
A number of stories investigated human behaviour and emotion in the form of animals. A Day at the Zoo by Martin Lindsay, Bob the Cockroach by Olivier Breton and Kangaroo by Linda Martin were three such stories, all rounded with strong closing lines that tipped the stories on their heads. Each sat somewhere between bemusement and disgust in their accounts of human behaviour.
Meanwhile, as the lovechild of short stories and poetry is wont to do, there was also plenty of investigation into love. Pillow Talk by Mabel Gibson perused the ways we grow to love one another while This by Sabien Wilde took Gibson’s story to the painful imagined end of growing apart.
For all of the seriousness in these pages however, there is pleasure and hope. Shannon Jade’s Countable Infinities encompassed all of this in one-and-a-half pages with young Jemma counting all the things that make up her life, before settling to count on hope. This particular story took my breath away and required a moment to sit and reflect.
There were so many delightful moments in this collection, far too many to mention here. The most satisfying part is reading a story and not really thinking much of it until you’re running errands, or working on something else, watching TV, and suddenly the story comes back to you. You see it in a new light. Just as satisfying is the moment you tie two seemingly separate stories together in any number of infinite combinations.
The cover is understated, just like flash fiction often is. The book size is smaller than usual, just like flash fiction is. And just like flash fiction, this book packs a punch. It does sit with you, long after you put it down, and the stories follow you long after you think you’ve finished thinking about them. A fabulous debut from WA’s newest publisher.
April 13, 2020
I loved the variety of stories offered in this little book! Particularly as someone traditionally preferring long fiction, "Once: A Selection of Short Short Stories" provided a gentle yet effective hook for exploring the possibilities of flash fiction. Damn enticing with many illustrating heartily (yet simply) why the flash fiction genre is one to be watched! :)
November 18, 2021
I enjoyed dipping into this book. It's ideal for people with a short attention span or commitment issues (most of us have days like that). I liked some of the stories a lot and others a little. My favourite was Toothpaste. One of the stories was just recycling one of those stories that everyone tells (sort of modern folklore almost urban myth but reduced to the most brief). I'll probably pick up the second volume some time.
February 18, 2020
It’s fabulous to have a chance to read a book that’s entertaining and unpredictable.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews