Information about the Book
Name: Stories for Homes volume 2
Release Date: 28th September 2017
In Support of: Shelter Charity
In Response to: Grenfell Tower
Published and unpublished writers come together to create an
anthology of stories about what ‘home’ means.
55 writers are included in a second charity anthology that
brings issues around housing, poverty and crisis to life through the power of
storytelling. Volume One of the Stories for Homes Project raised over £3K for
housing charity Shelter and raised awareness of housing issues.Volume Two of the anthology includes stories,
poems and flash fiction and again all proceeds will be donated to the charity.
*****
It's a rare book that is so brilliantly written and edited, at the same time as raising money for such a worthy cause. It's also one of my favourite adult books, and short story anthologies, that I've read this year. If those aren't good enough reasons to go out and buy this book immediately, let me share a few more.
As a whole, this anthology covers a huge range of subject matters and writing styles, but is unified by the theme of what home means. I really enjoyed the fact that this was a varied reading experience, with an insight into the lives of people from different cultures and backgrounds.
It also gives a lesson in how to be economical with words. Though some of the stories are only a few pages, or verses, long, they are written with such consistently strong voices that I immediately felt present in the world they created.
The stories were consistently interesting and thought-provoking, but I had a few favourites.
Day 89 is a really touching story about refugees that made me feel intensely for the characters, and also made me think about the privileges it's all too easy to take for granted.
The Tiger Who Came Back to Apologise takes a very creative approach to the subject matter, and at the end of the book was the one that stuck in my mind.
Straw Houses also stood out for the humour, voice and immediacy of the writing. It made me want to read a whole book written by Caroline Hardman.
This is a thought-provoking book that had me thoroughly engrossed throughout. I strongly recommend it for the storytelling and the motivation behind it.
Further Stories
A dedicated website includes a further collection of flash
fiction and poetry, real life experiences from people who have had housing
problems or have experienced homelessness, as well as a series of articles
from a professional working with homeless people.
If you want to follow this wonderful book throughout the blog tour, you can find the next stops below:
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