Lucy Scholes does so much work to bring “forgotten” female writers into public consciousness. I am particularly thankful to her for ensuring the republishing of Kay Dick’s unnerving novel, They. With A Different Sound, Scholes has put together a fantastic primer for those interested in discovering some underrated women storytellers.
The collection opens with The Cut Finger by Frances Bellerby, a devastating little story about a lonely young girl accompanying her mother and father to the seaside, in the hopes of curing her father’s illness.
I found Summer Night by Elizabeth Bowen a little disorienting; I’m not sure if I would have fully followed what was going on if I hadn’t read Scholes’ introduction. The story tells the story of one summer evening from different perspectives.
I loved Daphne du Maurier’s short stories; she is an absolute master of the form. I revisit her stories frequently, and it was a joy to re-read The Birds in this collection.
I had never read Diana Gardner before, and I adored her story, The Land Girl. A young lady goes to live with an older farming couple, and takes a strong dislike to the wife. The ending to this story had me laughing out loud.
Stella Gibbons is probably best known for Cold Comfort Farm, but she was an unbelievably prolific poet, novelist, and short story writer. Her story in this collection, Listen to the Magnolias, is absolutely beautiful. An older woman anxiously awaits the arrival of American soldiers who will be living with her. The ending made me cry. I also see that there isn’t currently a collection of Gibbons’s short fiction in print, which hopefully Scholes can rectify!
Inez Holden’s story, ‘Shocking Weather, Isn’t It?’, is another gem, in which a woman visits her cousin in various locations throughout his outrageous life. Attia Hosain’s The First Party is an engaging story of a newly-married woman feeling completely out of place at a party.
Three Miles Up by Elizabeth Jane Howard is one of my all-time favorite stories. Again, Howard is probably best known for her many novels, but I adore her short story collection, Mr Wrong. Three Miles Up is one of the finest examples of uncanny fiction I’ve ever read, in which two men take a vacation on a canal boat. Things get very strange when a young girl shows up. Another haunting ending.
To continue my enthusing, The Skylight by Penelope Mortimer is another incredible story. A woman shows up to a French villa, but cannot get inside. As her young son becomes impatient, she seeks access in a risky way. Mortimer is another master of short fiction, and her collection Saturday Lunch with the Brownings is phenomenal.
To my shame, I have not read nearly enough Elizabeth Taylor, and her story, The Thames Spread Out, has encouraged me to fix this. A woman waits for her married lover while the downstairs of her house floods. Again, this story has a perfect ending.
Scorched Earth Policy, a brief story by Sylvia Townsend-Warner closes out this wonderful collection. An older couple, who have spent the war hoarding supplies, prepare to bring things to a close.
I raced through this collection, mainly because every time I finished one story, I got excited to start the next. A Different Sound is a collection that is absolutely in my wheelhouse, and the writing is impeccable. All these stories have incredible endings. I hope this collection introduces people to the valuable work of these wonderful writers.
California Reading 