Dead is Dead and Other Stories

by Jane Seaford

A gun goes missing, a boy is paralysed after sliding off the roof of his house, a father of two children decides to become a woman….

Dead is Dead is a stunning collection of twenty intimate stories that hold a spotlight on relationships. The stories delve into the complicated, challenging and diverse incidents that make up everyday life. They are disturbing and unforgettable, and will leave the reader gasping and wanting more.

This is a complex and compelling read that will delight at every turn of the page.

230 pages, Paperback

First published November 23, 2016

Reviews

[Janet]

The stories in this collection focus on the complexity and messiness of relationships and families, which Jane Seaford dissects with scalpel-like precision. The settings and subject matter range over domestic violence, infidelity, drugs, death in various guises, abortion, gender and mental health.
Many of the protagonists are driven by a desire for autonomy or control of their lives. In ‘Matilda, the Determined Woman’, fifty-year-old Matilda wrestles with the demands of a judgemental mother and just wants to be in control of her life. Teenager Phoebe in ‘Runners’ wonders whether she will ever be able to break free of the expectation that it is her role to hold her family together after her father left. Many characters face the dilemma of whether to stay or find a way out of the relationship or situation they are in. There are no easy options and readers are left to wonder whether protagonists made it, or if they did, whether they could bear the cost. Some of the stories are told from the point of view of a child. The author uses this technique with devastating effect to lay bare the dynamics of domestic violence in ‘One of Those Days’.
The endings to the stories are satisfying and thought-provoking. There are plenty of surprises; ‘Sweet Susie’ is a case in point, and ‘Escaping the Warm-blooded’ has a truly creepy ending that made me gasp aloud. Happy endings are not a feature of these stories, although a few offer a possibility of tentative happiness. One of my favourites is ‘The Love Story of a Feckless Man’ in which Ted, father of eleven by the age of thirty-five and survivor of ‘one acid trip too many’ in his youth, demonstrates a touching capacity for love.
The stories in this collection have all been published in literary magazines or broadcast on radio or have been successful in competitions, and it’s a pleasure to see them collected in one place.

[Rocky]

Once I started this collection of stories I had to read it to the very end. And then I read several stories again. Jane Seaford writes about people from all walks of life; she looks at the world through the eyes of children, men and women; sometimes she chooses to tell a story from the point of view of a villain, and sometimes from the point of view of a character who is the innocent victim of circumstances. It is her versatility and prowess that makes this collection so exciting. She is an expert manipulator of emotional distance, and this is particularly evident is those stories (e.g. "Dead is Dead", "Cheryl and Me") with child narrators. However, my favourites ("Remembering Peter", "Escaping the Warm-blooded", "Matilda the Determined Woman" and "Playing with Clay") were told in the third person and from an adult perspective. I enjoyed the rich vocabulary the author uses in these stories, and her keen observation of human emotion. A word of warning: do not expect happy endings. Like all the best short stories, these ones will leave you with something to think about.

[Esmée]

“Two hens lay draining by the path that led from the kitchen to the house. They lay with their throats cut, the blood slowly oozing, their feathers rusty-red and limp.”

This book of cleverly written short stories already starts off with a bang. Literally. Jane Seaford is not afraid to write about topics people would normally try to avoid. All stories focus on facing difficult situations in life that are hard, or simply impossible to fix. I think because of that, it also teaches us a valuable lesson. There’s never a perfect solution for everything, sometimes sh*t just happens.

I personally loved all the stories, with “Escaping the Warm-blooded”, “This is not Miranda’s Story” and “Deadheading the Roses” being some of my favourites. The last one even made my eyes a bit watery. The writing is incredible, I was surprised at how well the author made all narrators sound believable and real, and I liked how different they all were from each other.

Overall, I really enjoyed reading this and I would love to take a look at the other books Jane Seaford has written. The only downside I can find is that this book is not for everyone, people who can’t handle sadness should leave this one be.

*I won this book in a GoodReads giveaway*

[Dani Urban]

Dead is Dead and Other Stories by Jane Seaford is a brilliant collection of stories. Each story has its own point of view of major issues. Issues readers know and can relate to...I found myself exploring the human nature. Raw, realistic, and complex. Relationships within members of our own family or outside of it..can be messy. Confusion, emotions tugging at war, and the moments that readers will never forget. I don't know how the writer, Jane Seaford did it, but she captured life in a nutshell on every page of her stories. I was hooked, captivated, and stunned. Her writing style is clear, easy to follow, and powerful. The messages are deep, thought provoking, and will leave readers wondering what next. Dead is Dead and Other Stories is a fascinating anthology of fiction that all must read. Once, I began reading these, there was no stopping...overall, I recommend it to readers everywhere.

[Gail Ingram]

This book at times reminded me of Margaret Atwood's book of short stories, The Stone Mattress, in that it is brilliantly written and many of the stories are dark and delicious, ending in somebody's satisfyingly wicked demise. Many stories also deal with difficult and sad subjects that provoke thought and unease well after you've finished; the characters so well drawn in their damaged and human way that the pages turn themselves. It's easy to see why each one of these stories is an award winner and/or been previously picked up for radio or publication. I really enjoyed the "chapter" length stories too, just right for one (or two) each night before bed... If you dare! I thoroughly recommend this book :)