The Separate Heart

by Simon Robson

If there is a thread running through Simon Robson's brilliant collection of stories it is the notion of separateness - of adults from each other, of children from adult knowledge, of adult consciousness from the vividness of childhood.His protagonists are often unlikely - a cat, a man, met in a bar, who drove a chariot in Ben Hur; a girl who gets up very early - but the stories are wise, funny, beautifully observed and somehow utterly true.

352 pages, Paperback

First published June 5, 2008

Reviews

[Alan]

yep another writer appearing at the Great Short Fiction day at Lancaster Literary Festival. Started reading it on the train this morning and it is the exact opposite of Anne Donovan's Heiroglyphics which was full of short, dialect-heavy (a couple of titles: Wanny the Lassies; A Chitterin Bite) and snappy stories, this one has much longer, formally written pieces.

..I liked a few stories a lot: the title story, 'Fat Girl' (which Simon read at the Litfest), and 'The Observatory by Daylight' a hilarious, biting story of a Public School principal's wheelchair bound son getting involved in the 'bad' pupil's scheme of stealing exam papers. Very very English,as all of them are, even the one set in America (two retirees on a trip across the States). I quite liked the last one too - The Last Word - which starts off with a writer's publisher saying he needed one more story to finish the collection. And he's got to do it by the end of the Bank Holiday (this is the Friday). So the story is about trying to write a story, and involves going off with his girlfriend to a place in the country he hates and they take a male Irish TV cook as company for her. Normally I'm not a fan of 'metafiction' but this had a few laughs at its own expense.

Some of the other stories I found overlong, and a bit portentous and over-described. Robson brings a novel like attention to scenes that require - for me - a lighter, or a briefer, touch. I found myself skimming through a couple of them (especially the one where two women meet again after 60 years, one now a nun), and that's not a good sign in short stories where every word should count.

...2012 - again had to add the cover. Why are they disappearing from GR?

[Checkie Hamilton]

The short story is such an interesting and sophisticated form so when they are written well they are a real treat to read. This book was one such treat. In The Separate Heart Simon Robson demonstrated his deft mastery of the form over and over again, culminating in the final story's meta-narrative of a man who upon presenting a collection of short stories to his publisher is told that he should write one more to complete the collection.

This final story was the real jewel in the crown of the collection. I loved it's self-consciousness and the way it referred back and referenced the other stories in the collection, reflecting on their significance, meaning and inspiration.

(Shoutout to Wilkie's dad for writing a great book :) )

[Sophie]

A great collection. Variety in subjects & focus, length & depth. Intimate glances into lives. Very thought provoking.