Artifice

by B.F. Jones

50 pages, Paperback

Published July 9, 2021

About the author

B F Jones is French and lives in the UK. She is the author of Something Happened at 2am, a collection of interlinked short stories, 5 years, a chapbook inspired by the song titles of David Bowie, and the Edge of Nowhere a poetry collection. Her next collection, Nobody thought to look under the floorboards, will be released in the summer of 2024.

Reviews

[H.L.R. H.L.R. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jones is a master of micro fiction and finding the uncanny in the mundane. The flash-length stories in Artifice are each uniquely unsettling and expertly constructed, with not a word wasted, the tension built through the revealing of disturbing subtleties, the language peppered with dark humour leading to the delivery of razor-sharp final sentences.

What I admire most about all of Jones’ writing (and fell in love with upon reading her poetry collection ‘The only sounds left’) is her meticulous eye for detail (evident in stories such as ‘Shelf Life’) and her artful presentation of the minutiae of domestic/family life and physical relationships. These gorgeous details add so much depth to her stories, yet what is clever in this collection is that the author allows room for the reader’s own imagination to come into play.

I also enjoyed the range of tropes that these stories explore and subvert. It’s brilliant how this collection gives the reader an assortment of dark tales rather than just, say, a vague horror aspect to all of them; for example, ‘Sweet Sixteen’ evoked sadness, concern and discomfort in me; ‘Flowers’ is psychologically disturbing in its simplicity; ‘A life worth living, after all’ and ‘The unclosed case of little Emily B.’s disappearance’ are classically creepy; and stories like ‘A sad state of affairs’ are an intelligent example of the modern absurd. Each story is able to standalone of its own merit, but the collection as a whole is equally effective in its ability to shock and unsettle the reader long after the book is closed.

Artifice is a highly accomplished selection of dark, twisted micro stories showing Jones at her best, a thrilling reading experience from start to finish, and a must-read for anyone who wants to find out what brilliant micro/flash fiction writing really is.

[Scott Cumming · Rating 5 out of 5]

B F Jones is an author who manages to make the scenes in her flash stories seem real. You don't need the description of rooms and whatnot as it comes to you fully formed due to these scenes carrying a proper everyday feel to them that extends to the characters.

The characters exist almost more in what they don't say than what they verbalise. The everyday darkness in the collection almost hits too close to home. There is noir, satire, horror, and much more within the pages of Jones second flash collection with tales that you'll remember long afterwards.

She has an unerring ability to make you go back and read stories again once you've been shocked and disturbed by the last line.

I love Jones work and it has been among my discoveries of 2021.

[James Lilley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Artifice is a diverse collection of atmospheric, unsettling, humourous and dark short stories by B F Jones. B F Jones really shows of her writing ability with these various tales.

[Stephen J. Golds · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful, thought provoking short stories shedding light in the darker regions of our daily lives.
Jones writes prose with the artistic intensity of a heartbroken poet.
5/5 Highly Recommended

[Dorothée · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dark and wonderful !

[Matthew McGuirk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jones weaves a collection of stories together that tosses the reader around with the more overt ones and lulls them into a false sense of security with the subtle ones, but there is always the sharp edge lurking, whether the blade is visible or hidden. The use of language and choice of structure for the pieces is expertly done and there isn't one you'll want to miss. I'll be coming back to this collection and I'm sure different pieces will stand out each time. Pick it up, if you haven't already!

[Wayne Jermin · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful collection of short stories by B.F. Jones. Artifice really does show off Jones' diversity in her writing. A collection of dark, funny, quirky and emotional stories that really hit you with every word.
Jones has become one of my favourite writers. Her ability to not only capture a moment but catapult you into that setting is a very rare talent and she does it with ease.
Artifice is a collection that you simply have to read!

[Colin Gee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this collection thoroughly enjoyable: comfort reading despite its grim theme/s. 99 pages not counting front and back matter, it is a tidy volume of flash and micro fiction that keeps you guessing from story to story. Fav stories in no particular order were: 'Sweet sixteen', 'To forgive and forget', 'Seduction', and the coming-of-punk 'Budding love'. The cover is really cool too -- it is a nice physical product.

[Hector D Junior · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alarmingly subtle. . .

What BF Jones accomplishes here is not an easy feat. What seem like slice of life stories, curtail into tales of horror and trauma seeping underneath each of these characters existences. At times funny, at others unsettling, Jones wastes no time getting you to the root of what's disturbing each of these characters' seemingly banal lives.

[James Jenkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

B F Jones welcomes you into each of these perfectly executed stories with a masterful amount of subtlety. The beauty in Jones writing lulls you into a false security before slamming you into the hidden darkness that lays in wait. As a reader you are drawn back each time into this expertly set trap.