Rebecca Gransden

It was interesting. It was enjoyable, it made me think, and it is definitely something to read if you're not looking for anything particular. It is made up of little short stories than are almost just random thoughts because they don't aren't stories like I'm used to (stories like Lord of the Rings, or Reign of the Marionettes, or even the short story I wrote). This is nice in its own right, because you don't feel the need to grow attached to the characters and you don't feel a rush to get to the end of it. Each little story is interesting in its own right (some more so than others), and there is a little bit of everything for the people who enjoy these type of stories. It was worth the read.
I didn't give it three stars because it was bad in any stretch. There was definitely a couple of short stories in the collection that I didn't enjoy, but there was always that possibility. I enjoyed this collection of short stories and that is why I gave it three stars. I didn't love it, I enjoyed it. If I knew anyone who read these types of stories I would recommend it, because it was interesting.… (meer)

Generally, I’m not much into reading books of short stories. I find they can sometimes be too unconnected to warrant being a collection, or that they feel like germs of ideas for novels that haven’t been fully realised. But there are exceptions to that, and Rusticles is definitely one of them.

I read an advanced copy of this book a while ago and had so many reflections racing through my head about each story that I felt I was ready to write a review straight away. Then I found myself pondering on this book so much after reading it, that I knew I needed time to let it digest; exactly the same as when I read Gransden’s novel anemogram.
I’ve now read this book twice and I feel I don’t want to comment on particular stories at all, because above plots and content, this book simply makes you FEEL something. What that something is, I’m still not quite sure. But I feel it all the same.

One clever thing about Rusticles is that there are unconnected stories which are sewn together by simply occurring in the same place – around the town of Hilligoss (a name surely inspired by the Bros twins’ lesser known sister, to make a lame joke that ninety percent of people won’t get). Threading these stories together in this way works much like The League of Gentlemen comedy series taking place in Royston Vasey; which made it become something more than just a sketch show.

I can’t rate Gransden’s writing highly enough, but I’m also aware that it’s not necessarily for everyone.

Firstly, her descriptive prose always blows my mind. I can find myself stuck on a sentence for a good ten minutes just because I need to let the sounds and adjectives flow through my head in the way that good poetry makes me stop and reflect at the beauty of the craftsmanship. There seems to be somewhat of a backlash against ‘flowery prose’ (which is an unfair term to place on Gransden’s writing) these days – both in poetry and literature, and I often feel this is a shame. But it usually comes down to the fact that so many writers are bad at writing highly descriptive prose and end up with descriptions like ‘the cottonwool clouds in the bleak, azure sky’. Gransden’s writing isn’t like that at all. She’s the master (or mistress?) of description. If I started giving examples, I’d be quoting a third of the book, so I’ll let you discover it for yourselves.

Secondly, I think her writing isn’t for everyone because she writes about the edges of things. She leaves holes for the reader to fill. She gives a glimpse into worlds you have to decipher for yourself. It’s about what she doesn’t say just as much as what she does say. And she knows how to do that in a very accomplished way indeed.

Gransden also writes about the ordinary, but you’ll find plenty of extraordinariness amongst it as well. Her stories take place in parks and underpasses... places on the outskirts. And her characters are often relatable, down to earth, working class… Gransden really has her finger on the pulse of motorway lay-by Britain.

So, not everyone’s going to like Gransden’s work for those reasons given, but that just makes it all the more special for those of us who can’t get enough of her prose.

And: ‘Rusticles’ - what a damn perfect name for the feel of this book.… (meer)