Title: Writers Abroad Short Story Anthology 2010
Compiled by: Louise Charles
ISBN: 978-1-4461-7886-7
Published: Lulu
Date: 2010

Last year, online writer’s group “Writers Abroad” put together this fantastic collection of short stories of facets of expatriate life. The stories range from Spain and France to right across the globe. Some stories (such as ‘The Brood Mare Blues’) don’t even name a country, they simply extract some ‘essence of expat’ and speak directly about the confusing, powerful forces at work when an individual becomes uprooted, transplanted and watered in foreign soil.


Now, I have to declare my vested interest. Since the publication of this book I happen to have joined the group myself, and many of the stories have the added appeal of familiarity with the style of the author. Notwithstanding possible partiality on that count, this IS a genuine, bona fide excellent collection of short stories I would recommend to anyone.

For a start, when was the last time you picked up a book from Lulu (or any other self-publisher) and found NO typos? NO sloppy errors? These books are thin on the digital ground, and this is one of them.

There is not a single story that’s not at the very least, good. Most of them are exceptionally good, and some of them stunning. I guess your choice of which ones come out top will differ from mine – it’ll be a matter of personal preference, because technically there isn’t a bad apple among them. I’ve recently read several anthologies and compilations from extremely well-known authors, and frankly none of them come close to the overall quality of work produced here. The piece is a gem.

I won’t pick out any pieces, because then I’ll want to list them all and that would just be spoiling things. There is, however, a peculiar similarity running through all of these stories, wildly disparate in setting, tone, style and delivery though they are. They are all confident. It’s almost as if the daily need to stand one’s ground amidst constant questioning of what one’s identity truly IS once immersed in cultures alien to its own origin, has seeped through into the fabric of the stories. There’s a difference between ‘competent’ and ‘confident’. Reading the collection leaves one with the very ring of Babel (in the most positive sense), where each voice can be distinctly and unapologetically heard. It is a stimulating and an exciting read.


You can buy it here at Lulu in paperback, download a digital copy for free here or even read it online here. How much better does it get?