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🔊 ”Listen”

I had no idea what to expect on approaching this book – and ended up being totally blown away by it.

A collection of eight stories created by the unique voices of a set of authors on the spectrum for autism, this book represents an exciting foray into a lesser-known slice of diversity, an area know as “neuro-diversity”.

First, let me say that, diversity aside, this is a wonderful book, a beautifully curated and truly delightful and unexpected set of stories.

Ranging from the dark and desolate to the magical and hilarious, each little gem stands alone, sparkling with its author’s creativity and vision; each skillfully capturing a time and place and a slice of life that is remarkably easy for the reader to get lost in.

With a bit of a deeper look, however, it is possible to see some themes across stories emerge – themes that may be rooted in the unique lived experiences of those on the spectrum, mingling transparently with a reflection of the shared human experience itself.

Loss, grief, alienation, kindness, control, escape – these stories, often told with a somewhat detached and keenly observant narrative character, (many featuring animals, gardens or nature) touch on the rawest edges of what it is to be alive, and the voices in all of us that beg to be released. In each case, the narrator identifies an element, external to the unavailable human connection to “community”, which is strongly redemptive.

I adored this book, and found myself thinking about it long after I closed the last page.

Each and every story captivated me – you will see why, perhaps, from this brief look below:

• A conversation of sparrows (Jon Adams) – a haunting and mysterious look at PTSD, this story tells the tale of the unnamed characters represented by Gardener, Boy, and Soldier and the bonds between them.

• Standard candles (Damian Sawyer – a lovely and uplifting story about ethereal connections, and the magic of friendship and love.

• The Crows (Kate Roy) – A darkly gothic tale of the occult, star crossed lovers, black magic, and of course, crows and more crows.

• Light Revolution (JB Wiskey) (a Favorite) – A Sci-fi fable that tells the epic (and hilarious ) tale of a very strange pair of Academics, who are husband and wife, and the discovery of a new intellectual treatise that may change the world forever.

• The last tree (Sarah) (a Favorite) – A compassionate and incredibly poignant look at man’s alienation, – from ourselves, from others and mostly, from our native environment.

• The clockmaker (Esther Lowery) – Grief, loss, poverty and the redemptive power of love and family in Victorian England.

• The Beach House (Luke Matthews) – A sad and desolate story about anger, loneliness, escape and the collapse of dreams.

• Winona the Angelic Wizard (Richard Baskett) – Hi- jinx ensue when Winona graduates to wizardry and inherits a number of street wise ( and well-dressed!) talking animal friends.

My stop on the @Randomthingstours @Blogtour for #Mainspring_arts #InOtherWords published by @Unbounders

A great big thank you to the authors and the publisher for an ARC of this book. All thoughts presented are my own.