The Bed Book of Short Stories

by Lauri Kubuitsile (Compiler), Joanne Hichens (Editor), Gothataone Moeng (Contributor)

The bed, dressed in hand sewn quilt or threadbare blanket, may in and of itself be memorable, but it is what happens in the bed - the sex and lovemaking, the dreams, the reading, the nightmares, the rest, giving birth and dying - which give 'bed' special meaning. Whether a bed is shared with a book, a child, a pet or a partner, whether lovers lie in ecstasy or indifference, whether 'bed' relates to intimacy or betrayal, it is memories and recollections of 'bed', in whatever form, which have triggered the writing of these thirty stories by women from southern Africa. Well known writers Joanne Fedler, Sarah Lotz, Arja Salafranca, Rosemund Handler and Liesl Jobson will delight, but you will discover here new writers from Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Malawi, Namibia and Zambia, each with a unique voice as they cast light on the intimate lives of women living in this part of the world and the possibilities that are both available to and denied them. The BED BOOK of short stories - some quirky and tender, others traumatic or macabre - is the perfect companion to take to bed with you, to keep you reading long into the night.

Genres: Short Stories

311 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

Lauri Is a full time, award winning writer living in Botswana. She writes for children, teens and adults. She writes romance, detective, literary and humourous books.

Lauri has won or been shortlisted for numerous writing awards including: The Caine Prize, The Golden Baobab, MER Award for Best Youth Novel, The Sanlam Prize, Anglo Platinum Short Story Award and the Orange Botswerere Prize for Creative Writing.

She blogs at http://thoughtsfrombotswana.blogspot....

Her books include:
Signed, Hoplessly in Love (YA)
The Curse of the Gold Coins (children)
Mmele and the Magic Bones (children)
Lorato and her Wire Car (children)

In her Detective Kate Gomolemo series:
The Fatal Payout
Murder for Profit
Anything for Money
Claws of a Killer

Romance:
Kwaito Love
Can He Be The One?
Mr Not Quite Good Enough
Love in the Shadows

Short Stories:
In The Spririt of McPhineas Lata

Reviews

[Helen · Rating 5 out of 5]

The stories in The Bed Book of Short Stories were written by authors, some new, some well-known and established, from Africa. There you have the first common denominator – they are all African writers. The second commonality among the stories is that in each of them a bed played a role.

The idea of “bed” being a thread throughout the book interested me. I admit, though, knowing the writers were all from Africa intrigued me since just about all the books I read are by American, Canadian, or British authors. I thought that The Bed Book of Short Stories would take me to places I’d never been before. It did. And I wasn’t disappointed.

Some stories will make you smile. Some will make you cry. All are well-written and compelling. In some, the bed is a comfy mattress. In others, it is a rolled up pad on your back as you trudge through heat and pain trying to reach a safe-haven.

I loved all the stories, but the one that still plays in my mind is Stains Like A Map by Jayne Bauling. It’s brilliantly told in first person. You live in a woman’s head as her life undergoes major changes, from her marriage bed to hauling that bed on her back as she and her husband walk through heat and exhaustion for days, trying to reach a better life. She experiences great loss and depressing fear, but trudges forward. By the end of the story, I had to put down the book since I was crying too hard to read another one.

But I did later go on to read all of the stories. I would recommend that you, too, read all of them. They can give you a new perspective on life, happiness, suffering, and joy.

I give The Bed Book of Short Stories a Hel-Yeah.

[Claudie Muchindu · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a contributing author in this book I am slightly biased, however, this really is a book that should be shared as each story has interpretations that can be great talking points in addition to being wonderful solitary journeys.

[Tiah]

This is a brilliant book to read in bed. Book clubs (even the anti-shorts) need to pick up a copy. Yes. You. Do!

[Sneh Pradhan · Rating 3 out of 5]

The idea of a "bed" being the common thread joining these disparate bouquet of stories is definitely seductive , and yes , the stories do match up to the allure !!!