Desiree Reynolds

Known for both its industrial roots and arboreal abundance, Sheffield has always been a city of two halves. From elegant parks and gardens to brutalist high-rise estates and the hinterland nightclubs of 'Centertainment', it is a city caught between the forges of the past and the melting pot of the present. Bringing together new short stories from some of the city's most celebrated writers, The Book of Sheffield traces the contours of this complex landscape from both sides of the economic dividing line. From the aspirations of young creatives, ultimately driven to leave, to the more immediate demands of refugees, scrap metal collectors, and student radicals, these stories offer ten different look-out points from which to gaze down on the ever-changing face of the 'Steel City'.

The word has gone out that Seduce is dead, and the mourners gather on Church Island in the Caribbean for her wake. All bring their own memories of Seduce: her daughter Glory prays for the rescue of her mother's soul, but there are also those who have come to make sure that "dutty filthy woman" has finally ceased to be a temptress to the island's husbands. Her grandchildren, too, both in their different ways marked by growing up in such a conflicted family, strive to find something positive in Seduce's life, and new directions in their own. And then there is Seduce's old lover, Mikey, come to make his peace. In this remarkable debut novel, told in patois prose that is poetic and delicate, profane and slyly funny, Desiree Reynolds has powerful things to say about race, class and the struggle between the sexes. Desiree Reynolds started her writing career in London as a freelance journalist for the Jamaica Gleaner and the Village Voice. She has gone on to write film scripts, poetry and short stories; Seduce is her first novel. A teacher, broadcaster and DJ, Desiree currently lives in Sheffield.