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The White Road and Other Stories
What links a cafe in Antarctica, a factory for producing electronic tracking tags and a casino where gamblers can wager their shoes? They're among the multiple venues where award-winning writer Tania Hershman sets her unique tales in this spellbinding debut collection. Fleeing from tragedy, a bereaved mother opens a cafe on the road to the South Pole. A town which has always suffered extreme cold enjoys sudden warmth. A stranger starts plaiting a young woman's hair. A rabbi comes face to face with an angel in a car park. An elderly woman explains to her young carer what pregnancy used to mean before science took over. A middle-aged housewife overcomes a fear of technology to save her best friend.A desperate childless woman resorts to extreme measures to adopt. A young man's potential is instantly snuffed out by Nature's whims. A lonely widow bakes cakes in the shape of test tubes and DNA. A number of these stories are inspired by articles from science magazines, taking fact as their starting points and wondering what might happen if. In these surreal, lyrical stories, many of which are only a few pages long, Tania Hershman allows her imagination free reign, as her characters navigate through love, death, friendship, spirituality, mental illness and the havoc wreaked by the weather.
148 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 2008
4 people are currently reading
98 people want to read
About the author
Tania Hershman
46 books89 followersA queer writer of odd things, short, very short, and longer, writing teacher and editor based in Manchester, UK, my tenth book, It’s Time – A Chronomemoir, a hybrid creative non-fiction book about time, is published on July 17th 2025 by Guillemot Press.
I also have four books of poetry, three short story collections and two further hybrid books out in the world. My second poetry collection, Still Life With Octopus, was published by Nine Arches Press in July 2022, and my debut novel, Go On – a hybrid fictional memoir-in-collage partly inspired by being writer-in-residence in Manchester’s Southern Cemetery – by Broken Sleep Books in November 2022.
I am editor of the charity anthology FUEL: 75 Prize-Winning Flash Fictions Raising Funds to Fight Fuel Poverty (Feb 2023), and was honoured to be Arvon’s writer-in-residence from Nov 2022-April 2023.
I also have four books of poetry, three short story collections and two further hybrid books out in the world. My second poetry collection, Still Life With Octopus, was published by Nine Arches Press in July 2022, and my debut novel, Go On – a hybrid fictional memoir-in-collage partly inspired by being writer-in-residence in Manchester’s Southern Cemetery – by Broken Sleep Books in November 2022.
I am editor of the charity anthology FUEL: 75 Prize-Winning Flash Fictions Raising Funds to Fight Fuel Poverty (Feb 2023), and was honoured to be Arvon’s writer-in-residence from Nov 2022-April 2023.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
June 13, 2009
I just finished this collection of short stories and flashes in one sitting.
I'm acquainted with the author but really had not read her work until now.
May I say I won't be missing her next book! Using science articles from
New Scientist as inspiration, Ms. Hershman has written tight little stories absolutely bubbling with surprises, imagination, and brilliance. I just couldn't stop reading. The volume is slim, so it was like eating at one of those fine, fine restaurants that serve small but gourmet portions, and you want more, more, more. So I kept turning the pages, delighting in the variety of voices, the unexpectedness of each piece. I noticed that after each story I put the book down, gazing out the window at the N.C. mountains, considering the depth and subtlety of seemingly effortless writing -- her magical insights into life's pain, uncertainty, humor, and irony sank into me and it was a solid, satisfying meal. I became aware that she melded dreams and reality in this collection, done with deliberate and seamless craftshipmanship. I feel, in a way, like I have just floated out of a kind of trance, my own dream (or hers), reading this. Don't miss it!
I'm acquainted with the author but really had not read her work until now.
May I say I won't be missing her next book! Using science articles from
New Scientist as inspiration, Ms. Hershman has written tight little stories absolutely bubbling with surprises, imagination, and brilliance. I just couldn't stop reading. The volume is slim, so it was like eating at one of those fine, fine restaurants that serve small but gourmet portions, and you want more, more, more. So I kept turning the pages, delighting in the variety of voices, the unexpectedness of each piece. I noticed that after each story I put the book down, gazing out the window at the N.C. mountains, considering the depth and subtlety of seemingly effortless writing -- her magical insights into life's pain, uncertainty, humor, and irony sank into me and it was a solid, satisfying meal. I became aware that she melded dreams and reality in this collection, done with deliberate and seamless craftshipmanship. I feel, in a way, like I have just floated out of a kind of trance, my own dream (or hers), reading this. Don't miss it!
January 6, 2009
From Nik's Blog (http://nikperring.blogspot.com/2009/0...) - January 2009:
"In my house there are many bookshelves. Two of these will feature in this post.
The first is a rather exciting and lovely one, where all the books written by people I know live. The second is in my office, and on that sit my favourite books. Inspirational ones. Good ones. Ones I love. Glancing at it now I can see Hemingway, Keret, Sebold, Bender, Gaiman, Creech, McGregor, Salway, a book about The Clash, a book on local hauntings (forgot about that one!) my book, The Writers' and Artists' Yearbook. You get the picture.
Recently though I've faced a bit of a dilemma, because I've not been sure where to place some books - they're from people I know AND I love them, find them inspirational, think they're literature worth learning from.
The latest book to offer such a dilemma is Tania Hershman's The White Road and Other Stories. Now, I'm a writer so to say I love books is, well, obvious. I do. But some I don't just love, it's something more than that. It's marriage as opposed to a good relationship; it's the sea as opposed to a lake. If that makes sense.
So, back to the book. I love it. But why? Well, I could go on. And on. Each and every story included in this collection is beautiful, affecting, clever, poetic, deep, funny, sad, desperate - sometimes many of these together - and always expertly written. Each story is exactly as long as it needs to be. I know a lot has been made of half the stories being inspired by science articles (which is cool) but let's forget about that for a moment, because really, that doesn't matter. What matters is the stories are wonderful, alive, sincere - what inspired them doesn't matter when they're that good because, as with any great story, they are good enough to stand on their own. And boy, do they.
It's a thrilling, rewarding and entertaining debut and I can't wait for more.
My copy's on my desk at the moment - but soon it'll be returned to its home. Can you guess which shelf that will be?"
"In my house there are many bookshelves. Two of these will feature in this post.
The first is a rather exciting and lovely one, where all the books written by people I know live. The second is in my office, and on that sit my favourite books. Inspirational ones. Good ones. Ones I love. Glancing at it now I can see Hemingway, Keret, Sebold, Bender, Gaiman, Creech, McGregor, Salway, a book about The Clash, a book on local hauntings (forgot about that one!) my book, The Writers' and Artists' Yearbook. You get the picture.
Recently though I've faced a bit of a dilemma, because I've not been sure where to place some books - they're from people I know AND I love them, find them inspirational, think they're literature worth learning from.
The latest book to offer such a dilemma is Tania Hershman's The White Road and Other Stories. Now, I'm a writer so to say I love books is, well, obvious. I do. But some I don't just love, it's something more than that. It's marriage as opposed to a good relationship; it's the sea as opposed to a lake. If that makes sense.
So, back to the book. I love it. But why? Well, I could go on. And on. Each and every story included in this collection is beautiful, affecting, clever, poetic, deep, funny, sad, desperate - sometimes many of these together - and always expertly written. Each story is exactly as long as it needs to be. I know a lot has been made of half the stories being inspired by science articles (which is cool) but let's forget about that for a moment, because really, that doesn't matter. What matters is the stories are wonderful, alive, sincere - what inspired them doesn't matter when they're that good because, as with any great story, they are good enough to stand on their own. And boy, do they.
It's a thrilling, rewarding and entertaining debut and I can't wait for more.
My copy's on my desk at the moment - but soon it'll be returned to its home. Can you guess which shelf that will be?"
April 3, 2009
Tania Hershman, a former science writer, begins nearly every story in The White Road and Other Stories with an epigraph from New Scientist magazine--some tidbit of scientific discovery or knowledge, and then takes the reader on a wild romp with characters, which somehow tangentially relates to said quotation.
I enjoyed all of the stories in this collection and especially loved "Rainstiffness" and "The Incredible Exploding Victor." I would highly, highly recommend this collection to lovers of short fiction. The one drawback is that there should have been much, much better copy editing done. The number of small errors throughout is bothersome.
I enjoyed all of the stories in this collection and especially loved "Rainstiffness" and "The Incredible Exploding Victor." I would highly, highly recommend this collection to lovers of short fiction. The one drawback is that there should have been much, much better copy editing done. The number of small errors throughout is bothersome.
June 15, 2017
Some stories work well others not as much. Generally it is worth a read. Although short the book took me over 2 weeks to finish dipping in and out as my want. I really liked the quotes from NEW SCIENTIST to show where the inspiration for some of the stories came from.
August 3, 2011
One of the good things about short story collections is that they help give shape to an author’s work as a whole in a way that’s not necessarily apparent from individual pieces in isolation. Reading The White Road, I gain a sense of two main strands running through Hershman’s short fiction: first, there are a considerable number of short-shorts in the book. I think this is a particularly tricky form to do well, because the prose has to be so much denser to have impact; the short-shorts in Hershman’s collection are amongst the strongest I can recall reading, and having them together in the same volume only reinforces that impression.
Perhaps the main concern of the stories in The White Road, however, is science; many pieces begin have an epigraph from New Scientist, the subject of which may then be explored directly or more tangentially. ‘On a Roll’ begins with an epigraph about the randomness underpinning casino games, then tells of a woman who first has a dream in which she puts up an expensive pair of shoes as a stake at the roulette table, then seeks to enact her dream in reality; it’s a study of how the protagonist’s understanding of randomness enables her to make peace with her life.
‘My Name Is Henry’ employs a fairly straightforward reverse chronological structure to great effect, as it depicts a young man who knows his name, and goes backwards in time to uncover the cause of his amnesia; that progression is both affecting and chilling. The story ‘The White Road’ is set at a truck stop on the way to the South Pole, whose owner, Mags, travelled down there to escape a tragedy in her past; when that tragedy catches up with her, she knows it’s time to take drastic action. As so often in this collection, the human story is firmly to the fore; but the scientific underpinning gives the tale an added dimension of inevitability.
Perhaps the main concern of the stories in The White Road, however, is science; many pieces begin have an epigraph from New Scientist, the subject of which may then be explored directly or more tangentially. ‘On a Roll’ begins with an epigraph about the randomness underpinning casino games, then tells of a woman who first has a dream in which she puts up an expensive pair of shoes as a stake at the roulette table, then seeks to enact her dream in reality; it’s a study of how the protagonist’s understanding of randomness enables her to make peace with her life.
‘My Name Is Henry’ employs a fairly straightforward reverse chronological structure to great effect, as it depicts a young man who knows his name, and goes backwards in time to uncover the cause of his amnesia; that progression is both affecting and chilling. The story ‘The White Road’ is set at a truck stop on the way to the South Pole, whose owner, Mags, travelled down there to escape a tragedy in her past; when that tragedy catches up with her, she knows it’s time to take drastic action. As so often in this collection, the human story is firmly to the fore; but the scientific underpinning gives the tale an added dimension of inevitability.
November 3, 2008
This slim volume with its stunningly photographed cover contains stories with colour, life, passion, precision and pathos. The shortest is just half a page but it packs a terrific punch. You could read the whole collection in one sitting but I recommend taking your time, allowing the stories to sink in, get under your skin and sing.
October 16, 2008
Very enjoyable. The stories are very short, but i find the longer ones most engaging, e.g the title story, the thrilling RFID one, or the mysterious 'North Cold'. The themes cover parenthood (or lack of it), loss, and some aspect of science (usually), these elements are blended well with elegance and grace. Many are set in cold climates but the book as a whole has a warm and cheering heart.
January 14, 2009
I met Tania at TinHouse, before White Road was published. When I finally got my hands on a copy of this book, I was struck by the strength of the first (title) story, and have had this unexpected gem by my bedside ever since, reading a micro story here and there when the mood strikes.
April 5, 2011
It was fabulous. I can't ever remember reading a story that took place in Antartica, but that's where the white road is. This is a strong set of stories. I happen to love Jumpa Lahiri's collection, "Unaccustomed Earth," and the stories in Hershman's collection were as engaging as Lahiri's.
July 12, 2010
Melodic & comforting - thoughts and moments in time inspired by science. Perfect : )
July 19, 2018
"White Road" has a first person voice (it's been on BBC Radio 4) belonging to the owner of the last cafe before the South Pole. It has innocent phrases with hidden depths - "The road don't cut through it, it's part of it, just flattened out a bit". The ending's a surprise - a dramatic physical event whose timing has no obvious psychological justification. It works for me though, and it's prefigured earlier in the story. It's not the only story about blindness (and preparing for it) or about cold climes, or childbirth problems. Of course, snow doesn't really cause permanent blindness, but the character wants to be blind, and prepares accordingly - "Some things the eye shouldn't see". It could have a symbolic meaning - Death, Dementia, Madness, or most likely the desire to Forget.
"White Road" begins the book. The final story is, neatly, "North Cold" which I've read before in "Riptide". I guess it could be classified as magic realism. I like that too, and "Rainstiffness", which ends particularly well. They're 2 of the stories where it's as if weather corresponds to some internal state.
I'm not so convinced by the "Brewing Storm", "Evie and the Arfids", and "Space Fright" stories. All include near-future technology and some light comedy. The endings of the first 2 are predictable, but I don't really get what the pieces are trying to be. The plots and character studies don't cut it for me, and I can't read them as satire or social comment - they suffer too much in comparison to some other pieces here.
In a story with a title like "Self Raising" one expects double meanings, and we're not disappointed. Cake making is mentioned, and we're given some Science, but what's the connection? We're soon told - the narrator's an under-achieving science-graduate widow, self-employed making themed cakes. The story's last paragraph's a surprise though - again, there's a dramatic event (involving an open window rather than breaking a glass ceiling) without an obvious internal analogue. Something snapped, but why does the internal monologue go suspiciously quiet at the crucial moment? It's a story convention, but all the same.
"Sunspots" exemplifies most clearly the author's ability to speak in voices - it has a believable medieval setting. The voices aren't exclusively female either, and a discursive tone's sometimes adopted - "Express" looks like an essay set in the 2nd person. The material's promising - with a more pressing side-plot it could have been a conventional story. "The Incredible Exploding Victor" is fun idea with a tame conclusion (the characters suddenly acting like grown-ups when "the doctor" intercedes) - so tame I wonder what I've missed. I prefer stories that become pretentious when they fail, rather than fizzle away.
Maybe alternating the long and short pieces wasn't a good idea. I feel that all the required components of stories are in the book, but rarely together in a single piece. Surprisingly for a Salt publication there were typos - p.23 has "working it's way", and p.43 has "a annoying".
"White Road" begins the book. The final story is, neatly, "North Cold" which I've read before in "Riptide". I guess it could be classified as magic realism. I like that too, and "Rainstiffness", which ends particularly well. They're 2 of the stories where it's as if weather corresponds to some internal state.
I'm not so convinced by the "Brewing Storm", "Evie and the Arfids", and "Space Fright" stories. All include near-future technology and some light comedy. The endings of the first 2 are predictable, but I don't really get what the pieces are trying to be. The plots and character studies don't cut it for me, and I can't read them as satire or social comment - they suffer too much in comparison to some other pieces here.
In a story with a title like "Self Raising" one expects double meanings, and we're not disappointed. Cake making is mentioned, and we're given some Science, but what's the connection? We're soon told - the narrator's an under-achieving science-graduate widow, self-employed making themed cakes. The story's last paragraph's a surprise though - again, there's a dramatic event (involving an open window rather than breaking a glass ceiling) without an obvious internal analogue. Something snapped, but why does the internal monologue go suspiciously quiet at the crucial moment? It's a story convention, but all the same.
"Sunspots" exemplifies most clearly the author's ability to speak in voices - it has a believable medieval setting. The voices aren't exclusively female either, and a discursive tone's sometimes adopted - "Express" looks like an essay set in the 2nd person. The material's promising - with a more pressing side-plot it could have been a conventional story. "The Incredible Exploding Victor" is fun idea with a tame conclusion (the characters suddenly acting like grown-ups when "the doctor" intercedes) - so tame I wonder what I've missed. I prefer stories that become pretentious when they fail, rather than fizzle away.
Maybe alternating the long and short pieces wasn't a good idea. I feel that all the required components of stories are in the book, but rarely together in a single piece. Surprisingly for a Salt publication there were typos - p.23 has "working it's way", and p.43 has "a annoying".
May 1, 2020
This was an interesting set of short stories. It had a range from very poetry-like paragraphs to few page long stories. Some of them were just plain weird and I didn't get it. But there were some really nice stories in there as well. One of the cool things about her stories were that most of them started with a quote from a New Scientist article, and the story was related to that topic. I took a while to finish it but honestly you can finish it in a few hours if you like (though i think with short stories, you should do the former more than the latter :) )
May 24, 2017
An enjoyable collection of short stories, varying in length - the shortest not even a page - while using articles from the 'New Scientist' as inspiration.
Some are thought provoking. Some are left open-ended. I think my favourite was 'My Name is Henry', a clever piece that actually runs backwards.
Would definitely recommend.
Some are thought provoking. Some are left open-ended. I think my favourite was 'My Name is Henry', a clever piece that actually runs backwards.
Would definitely recommend.
December 8, 2020
Really enjoyed this. Very unique stories.
November 28, 2010
The author’s style here is variable. Some of the stories have your standard beginning, middle and end, one even runs backwards but most are slices of life, and some pretty thin slices at that, slides that she puts under her microscope for us to examine at our leisure. This is a collection of two halves and many slices. By that I mean that there are two kinds of fiction going on here, short stories with flash pieces sandwiched in between. On the whole it works but I have some doubts about the selection of stories as a body. There are some standout pieces – the title story is a corker – but on the whole it’s a mixed bag. There were some stories here I really liked but nothing I hated. 4 stars is a little generous but it deserves more than 3.
You can read my full review on my blog here.
You can read my full review on my blog here.
Read
October 6, 2013Tania Hershman takes you on a series of short imaginative adventures in The White Road. Some stories are casual, tough, laid-back; many are poetic. There are unravellings, fantastical flights, speculative inventions, and surprises. The snapshots vary in tone, and explore different possibilities – scientific, technological, emotional. The book is physically bag-sized and each story can be read in a sitting, but all are worthy of full attention. Many of them are told in a feminine voice – often tough, almost hard-boiled. Hershman also shows how a ‘flash’ story should and can work – a rounded idea, rendered with punch. The closing line matters.
October 1, 2011
I really loved this book and will be loathe to bookcross it on. Some of the stories are very brief (one side), some remain unfinished and some have very unusual inspiration. I loved all these things, felt a real connection to the author's writing style and feel inspired by her to try my hand at short story writing. I'll probably pass it on to a friend who's just had a baby - the pithy length of the tales mean that even she will have time to read them.
March 22, 2009
A book of stories inspired by scientific ideas and taking off into the most inventive realms of the imagination. Linguistic economy and wit matched with touching awareness of human vulnerability and desire. Some of the flash stories in this collection are the best and the most resonant I have ever read, while the longer stories are affecting.
April 16, 2012
I had this book in my "to read" pile and I wish I'd got to it sooner. This is a fabulous collection of short stories, with so many memorable stories that will linger vividly in my mind for a long time, both for the creative tales that I enjoyed reading, to the beautiful prose they contained. Don't wait to read this one!
March 1, 2009
I loved this book of short short lovely science meets art meets love collection.
I have written a few brief things about it on my blog forgetting the time
I have written a few brief things about it on my blog forgetting the time
April 4, 2017
I love the surreal feel of this book, as if written by a modern day Roald Dahl. Every story is completely different from the rest: some were sad, some gothic, some almost sci-fi, some had a hint of magic realism to them - those were my favourite.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews