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The Weeds
Katy Simpson Smith
‘The stone is cold; touching a leaf is like touching skin.’
A botanist’s assistant longs for her lover in this extract from The Weeds.
Acid Permanent
Suzie Bovenzi
‘I miss his body, the blank shine of it. I miss the clean blue bib.’
A story by Suzie Bovenzi.
Close to Home
Michael Magee
‘I thought about how I had tricked everyone into thinking I was hard, that I could handle myself, without ever having to throw a punch.’
An extract from Close to Home by Michael Magee.
Animals After Dark
Avigayl Sharp
‘I was not a strong mayor. I was an email. I was a little bit high.’
A short story by Avigayl Sharp.
Of Cattle and Men
Ana Paula Maia
‘No one goes unpunished. They’re men of cattle and blood.’
An extract from Of Cattle and Men by Ana Paula Maia, translated by Zoë Perry.
The Gospel According to the New World
Maryse Condé
‘Our Father had perhaps two sons and sent her the younger one.’
An excerpt from The Gospel According to the New World, by Maryse Condé, translated from the French by Richard Philcox.
Husband Number Five
Emily Adrian
‘I’ve been cruel to my mother all my life. Relentlessly hitting on her new boyfriend was barely remarkable.’
Fiction by Emily Adrian.
Oxblood
Tom Benn
‘Some nights he hurt her which made her glad; she never let him know because the pain was brief and rare and felt like penance.’
An extract from Oxblood by Tom Benn.
Nothing Special
Nicole Flattery
‘There was very little I could do in life except get dressed, smoke the correct cigarettes.’
An extract from Nothing Special by Nicole Flattery.
Blue Hunger
Viola Di Grado
‘All I wanted was to look at Xu and be looked at by Xu. Be touched by Xu. Be commanded by Xu.’
An extract from Blue Hunger by Viola Di Grado, translated by Jamie Richards.
Maps of Our Spectacular Bodies
Maddie Mortimer
‘This one – it’s a bit of a beast, he said.’
An extract from Maps of Our Spectacular Bodies by Maddie Mortimer. Shortlisted for the Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year Award 2022.
Misfortune
André Alexis
‘How many children had accidentally – or purposely, for that matter – shot a parent? Too many to count, no doubt.’
Fiction by André Alexis.
