The Book of Manchester

Reading the City: A City in Short Fiction

by David Sue (Editor), Lemn Sissay (Foreword), David Constantine

Manchester has a reputation for being one of the UK’s loudest cities. From its smoggy inception as the first industrial city to its proud traditions of protest and activism, to blazing a trail in the British music scene, the city has always been defined by an inexorable sense of urgency and activity. No wonder, then, that it feels compelled to shout so loudly about its accomplishments.

In stark contrast, The Book of Manchester is more concerned with dialling down that sometimes deafening hubris. As international investment pours into the city, reshaping its skyline, these stories ask: at what cost? From the pair of homeless friends intent on shattering the ‘Manctopia’ property dream, to the middle-aged fangirl feeling abandoned by both her husband and her city, we follow the struggles of ordinary residents navigating a city in dramatic flux – stories of thrilling quietude that might otherwise be lost amid the roar and clamour.

Genres: Fiction

192 pages, Paperback

First published October 10, 2024

About the author

David Sue, PhD, is Professor Emeritus of Psychology and an associate at the Center for Cross-Cultural Research at Western Washington University in Bellingham, Washington.

Reviews

[Tripfiction · Rating 4 out of 5]

Getting under the skin of Manchester



This is one of the latest titles from Comma Press, who specialise in short fiction from the UK and beyond. They publish “The Book of… “ series which features cities from Manchester (highlighted in this post) to Prague, Beijing, Bradford, Damascus (could be an interesting title given the current uprising in the city), Valletta, Barcelona, Cairo and more. Authors who know their city well create evocative stories that take the reader beyond the obvious, into darker hearts and everyday life (sometimes with a twist!), creating informed backstories and histories, offering insights behind the scenes.

The Book of Manchester opens with Beginning by David Constantine and it is the story of a teenager, who is on his way home from school and sees a group of people gathered around a body, floating in the Irwell. Subsequent stories tell of interactions coloured by racism, the vagaries of family dynamics, school experiences; overall, these are stories of interactions between ordinary residents that fuel the colour of the city and are captured within the pages of this anthology. There are some stories mired in excitement, others revel in the mundane, the rhythm of storytelling is as varied as the characters.

Each of these 12 stories takes a unique theme and each author vividly brings the city and its people to life. An ideal read for anyone who knows the city or wants to discover a new layer.

[Michaela Salmon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was torn between 4 and 5 as a rating for this book. I really enjoyed several of the stories but some less so and also I generally prefer a full novel to short stories as I find myself getting into the story and characters only for it to end abruptly. Having said that several of these short stories seemed perfectly formed just as they are. There are twelve stories in all and I really enjoyed reading stories about familiar places and characters from Manchester. My favourite stories from this collection were Beginning, Getting Home, Shock City, Contents May Vary, The Headteacher, Soul Sisters and
Occupy Manctopia.

[Katharina · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a brilliant collection of short stories set in Manchester written by various authors from Manchester. This is the is the first book I have read in the Reading the City series by CommaPress, and it has been a really good reading experience. As always there are stories in here I like more than others, but every story was well written and interesting in its own way. My favourites in no particular order were, The Headteacher by Okechukwu Nzelu, Soul Sisters by Reshma Ruia, Ten-Two Forty-Four by Ian Carrington, Occupy Manctopia by Mish Green, Cloaks by Yusra Warsama.

[William Aughton · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ironically, for a story about Manchester, this collection lacked any real character. More than half of the stories talked about gentrification, which is happening all across the UK. It may be that I live and work in Manchester and that has clouded my view, but I disliked the collection