‘’God?’ The voice was shaky, close to tears. ‘Are you there? Can I talk to you?’
There was a pause while God and the other child both held their breath, then nothing. God had lost him.
God jumped up and stood on his chair, putting his face close to the planet as it hung there. Even in the darkness he could see the white of the poles, some jet-streams, clouds. He could not, of course, see the boy who had whispered to him.
‘Hello,’ he whispered back, his lips touching the exosphere. ‘It’s me. I’m right here.’

Some Rain Must Fall: As a teacher whose students primarily belong to the ages of 6 and 12, this story struck a particular chord. Frances is called to substitute a teacher who left her position due to mysterious (for us readers) circumstances. Her calm manner and kindness for the children provide the shelter the little ones desperately need. And all the while, the rain falls and falls…A tender and shocking story.

Fish: A mother and a daughter try to survive in a post-apocalyptic world that puts their lives and their relationship at risk. Faber turns a world where fish float in the air into a masterpiece of psychological horror.

In Case of Vertigo: A nun living alone in absolute isolation shows us the beauty of Life and the merciless presence of Death.

Toy Story: In a moving, bittersweet story, God-child discovers the Earth in the discarded junk of an abandoned universe.

Miss Fatt and Miss Thinne: Miss Fatt is a voluptuous aspiring actress and Miss Thinne is a slender, polite nurse. Best friends for years, they excel in their respective fields. Until one day, Miss Fatt decides to eat more and more and Miss Thinne decides to stop eating altogether. And their world crumbles…

Half a Million Pounds and a Miracle: A quirky duo is in charge of the renovations in St Hilda’s church in Scotland. But what happens when the statue of the Virgin Mary is smashed beyond repair?

The Red Cement Truck: In a brilliant story that will make you extremely uncomfortable, a woman haunts her murderer in the most unusual of ways.

Somewhere Warm and Comfortable: An eleven-year-old, who is too eager to become a man, is initiated into the world of teens and their irresponsibility the hard way…

Nina’s Hand: In a touching story, Nina’s right hand chronicles her emotional demise.

The Crust of Hell: What happens to a raindrop after it hits the soil of the desert? This is the beginning of Ivan’s research in Africa as we witness the dynamics in his family, in a place forgotten and - potentially - hostile.

The Gossip Cell: This story was disappointing. I have no time to care about the hysterics and sexual frustration of a family of utter idiots.

Accountability: A thirteen-year-old girl tries to save herself and her grandmother from the abuse of her stepfather. Set in a city close to Melbourne, this story will make your blood run cold.

Pidgin American: In a poignant story full of wit and bittersweet nostalgia, we follow a young Polish woman’s observations of London, Poland, and questions of cultural identity. A marvellous example of remarking without ‘preaching’.

The Tunnel of Love: Two people with troubled troubled pasts and troubling presents try to make ends meet in the toxic field of the sex industry.

Sheep: Five artists are practically imprisoned in a remote estate in the Scottish Highlands by an ‘’Art Lover’’. It pains me to say that this story felt incomprehensible and devoid of any meaning whatsoever. Not the best way to end an, otherwise, memorable collection…

Recently, Ralph Fiennes, one of the greatest actors to ever grace this miserable planet, received the venom of woke fiends, pseudo-feministic Meanads and the rest of the illiterate TikTok mob who have the notion they belong in the human race. Why? Because he claimed that having trigger warnings in Theatre is completely pointless, that the audience of today has gone all soft, naive, and frankly, unable to think straight.

Same goes for the readers of today. Short stories are meant to make you uncomfortable, to question everything.

Don’t like it? Don’t read it! Don’t watch it! Leave the rest of us (who are the VAST majority) to enjoy it. And have a bath. Or two. You stink stupid.

In other news, Faber’s debut collection showcases his unique talent.

My reviews can also be found on https://theopinionatedreaderblog.wordpress.com ( )

Wonderful collection of short stories, some weird, some funny, some leaving you in suspense, some pleasingly whole just in themselves. ( )

nina's hand. my aunt's name is nina, so i was immediately drawn to this story about her hand. and i wasn't disappointed, because this hand has a consciousness of its own, and also kind of a death wish. poor nina.

michel faber is careful and precise in his stories - i think as careful and precise as in his novels/novellas. and that's something.
( )

nina's hand. my aunt's name is nina, so i was immediately drawn to this story about her hand. and i wasn't disappointed, because this hand has a consciousness of its own, and also kind of a death wish. poor nina.

michel faber is careful and precise in his stories - i think as careful and precise as in his novels/novellas. and that's something.
( )

when i bought this book for $1, the seller said she remembered the book and had been disappointed. maybe she meant another book or we have different tastes. i found the stories very individual, some weird. another reviewer said that some of the characters are in other stories and i too find this interesting. ( )