Father to the Man and Other Stories

by Adrian Plass

What is a forty-something bloke to do when he and his wife don't seem to talk any more, his teenage son is alienated from him and his best mate - a reliable drinking companion for many years - suddenly and inexplicably becomes a Christian? What do a family do when a much-loved grandmother dies unexpectedly and a freshly baked cake is discovered, obviously intended to be eaten when all the family were together? These are just two of the dilemmas facing the characters in this latest collection of stories from Adrian Plass. While laced with Adrian's distinctive humour, the stories also reveal vulnerable people, struggling to come to terms with emotional or spiritual crises.

Genres: Fiction

192 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1997

About the author

Adrian Plass is a writer and speaker who has produced over thirty books in the last twenty years. The best known of these is probably The Sacred Diary of Adrian Plass, a gentle satire on the modern church, which has sold hundreds of thousands of copies worldwide. This and other books have travelled to other countries and are translated into a number of foreign languages. Other books include biography, novels, short stories, a fictionalised account of the author's experiences as a residential child care worker, and collections of poems and sketches. A bemused Anglican, Adrian lives with his wife and daughter in a small market town near the Sussex South Downs.

Adrian has been in demand as a speaker in venues as varied as prisons, schools, churches, festivals, literary dinners and theatrical settings. His work also includes contribution to national and local radio and television. Live presentations combine humour, poetry, and story telling, largely revolving around his own inadequacies and struggles as a Christian and a human being.

In recent years Adrian has been joined by his wife Bridget in presenting a more varied and dramatic style of performance. Adrian and Bridget met at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School and have found particular satisfaction in being allowed to ‘do a bit of acting’. They have also been privileged to work alongside World Vision on several occasions, visiting Bangladesh and Zambia, writing two books and touring both in the UK and abroad with the aim of encouraging people to take up child sponsorship

Their work now takes them as far away as Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Africa, while trips to Europe have introduced the added dimension of speaking through interpreters. Not easy when you're trying to be funny!

Adrian's latest books include ‘Jesus Safe Tender and Extreme‘, published by Zondervan, ‘Blind Spots in the Bible’, published by BRF, and most recent of all ‘Bacon Sandwiches and Salvation’ published by Authentic Media. He and Bridget have also collaborated with friends in Canada to produce a CD of his favourite sketches from the last 20 years called ‘Preaching to the Converted’ while ‘A Touch of Plass’, CTA’s documentary video, is now out on DVD.

2008 began with a visit to Bolivia for Bridget and Adrian in collaboration with the charity Toybox to look at projects involving street children. Later on there will be a DVD, a book and a number of presentations promoting their work.

Adrian's central motivation continues to be his love for Jesus, although some may feel he expresses it rather eccentrically. His passion is to communicate the need for reality in faith, and a truth that he learned during a difficult stage in his life: "God is nice and he likes me..." Some have described his work as being ‘one long confessional’. They may well be right!

Reviews

[Rachel]

Solid. An enjoyable read.

[Roy]

This little story collection got my attention through my brother-in-law's booklist. But it was a German translation and translating the title back into English it says "And the grass stalk spoke". I used to read Adrian Plass a lot back in my German days, so I found the title intriguing, needed to do some research, and found that it is this story collection in English. It was published in 1998 and I think it reminded me of how my own Christian horizon was like back in these days. Not the best memories. I am glad, that Adrian Plass seemed to have moved on a little bit, too, judging by his more recent Shadow Doctor novel, which I thought was fantastic.

This collection contains seven stories, one written by the author's back then 17-year-old son. None of them really engaged me deeply. The mix of subtleties and description of faith backgrounds that borderline on platitudes (maybe not back then but from my 2021 perspective), was a bit irritating. I simply couldn't relate much to the angle, that the stories took on his faith themes. I

There is one exception. The last story "Small World". I loved it, even though I am not sure I fully understood it and the meaning of the title. But nice food for thought and a home for certain sad emotions of loss and grief, and it makes me want to go back to Winchester myself, a place where I, too, had not been to for over 30 years. And I don't think I ever visited the cathedral. Time to plan a trip.

Most themes of these stories had something to do, with fathers, sons, and death. So the English title for this collection is rather fitting and the fact the Christian faith has strong father, son, and death motives creates a nice echo.

[Sue]

This short volume contains seven short stories about family life and relationships, particularly relating to fathers and sons. It's from a Christian perspective but not at all preachy. I thought the stories were moving and thought-provoking; admittedly a bit surreal in places, but with the author's well-known gentle satire in others.

Overall, this makes good reading that has some unexpected depths.