Blog Tour Book Review : What Are You Like by Shelley Day

These stories ask us: what are you like? Watch the characters grapple with what life throws at them, never quite sinking under the weight of it all. Shelley Day’s stories explore what we can’t quite grasp. They celebrate the uncertainties of language. The settings here are exquisitely imagined no-man's-lands- at once strange yet oddly familiar. Here are worlds where the improbable becomes possible: a mother finds herself living on a library shelf, a diner finds words sliding from his menu into nothingness, a psychiatrist cracks up in front of his patient, and there’s a stain on the wall that won’t stop spreading. These extraordinary stories take us to the psychological hinterlands that make us who we are. What are you like? Do you know the answer?

'These are real short stories from a real writer: full of the telling detail, the betraying detail, the immaculately-rendered thought… The title work alone is a visceral, unforgettable, punch-drunk joy. Read this book.' A L Kennedy, award-winning novelist and short story writer.

‘Lucid, vivid, quirky, these interlinking stories teem with the stuff of life - always making the reader ask questions about family, loss, love - what is said, and what is not. The voices in this tender collection come bristling to life, fizzing and full. Fabulous.’ Jackie Kay, poet, novelist, short story writer, and Scotland’s Makar

‘This coruscating collection beautifully showcases Shelley Day’s twisting and turning talent. In one volume, we are immersed repeatedly into her magical worlds, emerging reeling yet ready for the next dip.’ Angela Jackson, award-winning novelist and script writer.

What Are You Like is a compilation of short stories that vary in length, some don't even fill half a page whilst others were quite a number of pages long. As with any compilation wether it's a film,music or stories in a book, there was some that I enjoyed and some that I didn't. There was a story that made me laugh out loud, stories that left me feeling totally confused. Stories that had hidden meanings (I have my own theories about the hidden meaning behind The Stain) There was a story that gave me the chills, stories that were educational, stories that had a supernatural feel to them and stories that were just completely random and strange. My favourite parts were the parts featuring Cara and Sadie,two sisters whose stories ran throughout the book. I felt a lot of empathy for Sadie when she was younger but I didn't think she was very likeable in one of the parts where she was a adult. There was a wide range of different realistic characters in this book, some likeable, some not so likeable, some memorable,some not so memorable.

What Are You Like is not a very long book, it was beautifully written, had some vivid scenery descriptions and was quite quirky at times. I thought it was an enjoyable read that is perfect for curling up with in your comfy chair on a chilly winter's day

My favourite stories in this book were

Picnicking With My Father
The Hole
Runways
Dolores And The Stick Man
Jennifer and Nicola
The Flesh Musketeers
Birthday Trip
The Stain
Far Away And Somewhere Else
Gazing Out Over The Tundra
Skeleton In The Cupboard
Swimming For The Country
Don't Judge Me
Jim Thinks He's Dead

                                                          ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Shelley Day is an award-winning writer,a European totally opposed to Brexit, a Geordie lass, a lapsed lawyer and academic psychologist. She was named as an Edinburgh UNESCO City of Literature ‘emerging writer’ in 2013 and has since appeared at numerous literary festivals. Her debut novel The Confession of Stella Moon (Saraband, 2016) won the Andrea Badenoch Prize and was shortlisted for the Dundee International Book Prize. In 2015 she won a Northern Writer’s Award to support this debut short story collection. Represented by Jenny Brown.

The cover was designed by Shelley Day's son OrnamentalConifer who has a huge following over on Instagram

Visit Shelley: https://shelleyday.com/

PUBLICATION DATE : 2019

PUBLISHER : Red Squirrel Press/Postbox press