Like a box of jewels: a treasury of short stories in every sense, the flash fiction in Red Ink ranges from longer tales to tiny vignettes. All of them beautifully written with exquisite detail: sometimes fascinating, sometimes funny, sometimes sad.
Some of these stories leave you wanting more because the glimpse of a world they give you is so vivid that you want to explore it further. You’re left with questions: what happened? Did she get away? Did his life ever turn around? and you’re haunted all day remembering a phrase or image or person.
But that’s the beauty of them. They flash a world and a character into your mind, leaving your own imagination to continue weaving possibilities long after you’ve put the original book down. It’s a rollercoaster ride of emotions, with love and loss endlessly interspersed.
Despite their short length, many of these tales still have wonderful twists. “A mistake” is a particularly good example of this, as well as “Bus ride”. I would highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys good stories (of any length) and good writing.
Edward Turbeville 