The Cartography of Others by Catherine McNamara

The Cartography of Others

Catherine McNamara

An astonishing set of tales by a writer who is skilled in the art of telling short stories. She has this ability to create a scene with a few deft strokes, wherever it is set - Mali, Ghana, the Dolomites, Corsica or London. Her characters have music, love of travel and sex in common. Each story has a separate character as a focal point, and every sentence is constructed with care, creating beauty. This collection is one you really should read.

Extract
Merle smiles. 'We were hoping for the first rooms would be ready for you to stay when you got here. You'd be closer to the clinic to have your ultrasounds and check-ups. But it didn't happen. There aren't really any pipes out here so we had to build a big septic tank and bring electricity down from the village. Neither has built a house before and James does get a bit up Kwaku's nose. James spent years abroad only to come back here when his mother died. He tends to treat Kwaku like a bush boy!
Parallels
  • Jellyfish by Janice Galloway
  • An Elegy to Easterly by Pettina Gappah
  • Hings by Chris McQueer