Joanna Campbell

Shortlisted for the Rubery Book Award 2024'You go too far, my friend. You are near dangerous ground.' Neil Fischer is travelling to a village in East Germany that he has unexpectedly inherited - his father's former hometown of Marschwald. Knowing it has been left to deteriorate for decades after the fall of the Berlin Wall, Neil is determined to restore the derelict village to its former glory, as his demanding late father would surely have wanted. But when he arrives, he is met with hostility, mistrust and underlying menace. His only friend in Marschwald is Silke, who is coming to terms with her traumatic experiences during the Cold War and has recently uncovered a shocking truth. As tensions rise, a series of surreal encounters force Neil to contend with his own troubled past - but in his present, all signs point to danger.

Shortlisted for the Rubery Book Award 2024You go too far, my friend. You are near dangerous ground.' Neil Fischer is travelling to a village in East Germany - his father's former hometown of Marschwald, which he has unexpectedly inherited. Knowing it has been left to deteriorate for decades after the fall of the Berlin Wall, Neil is determined to restore the derelict village to its former glory, as his demanding late father would surely have wanted. But when he arrives, he is met with hostility, mistrust and underlying menace. His only friend in Marschwald is Silke, who is coming to terms with her traumatic experiences during the Cold War and has recently uncovered a shocking truth. As tensions rise, a series of surreal encounters force Neil to contend with his own troubled past - but in his present, all signs point to danger.

These 20 stories are the winners in the 2017 Retreat West Short Story and Flash Fiction prizes. A woman ventures out into a marsh at night seeking answers about herself that she cannot find; a man enjoys the solitude when his wife goes away for a few days; two young women make a get rich quick plan; and a father longs for the daughter that has gone to teach English in Japan. These stories and more make up a wonderful collection looking at relationships of all kinds - the ones we have with ourselves, our lovers, our friends and our mothers. They are funny, poignant, sad and strange but all beautifully written and a fine example of the wonderful writers from all around the world that are creating short stories and flash fictions today.