Review: Darker than you might expect from this author!
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 08 11, 2013
Peacock and Dragon is the latest collection of stories by Jenny Worstall.  The book consists of three easy-to-read but memorable tales and a sample chapter of the author's novel.Strawberry Thief is the tale of some bones found buried in a family's back garden.  That mystery intertwines well with the story in the present.  The resolution is a satisfying one but the path to it is darker and more supernatural than this author's fans might expect.  The prose is simple but effective and  I enjoyed the recurring themes and imagery.  Details are casually dropped in for the reader, such as red leaves falling, a child's red playsuit on the floor, a sip of red wine...but the overall effect of reinforcing the red element is a powerful one.Peacock and Dragon is the story of a teenager who falls pregnant and is hounded by a concerned mother to give up the baby for adoption.  The story again has a satisfying resolution and arrives there again with a touch of the supernatural.Love is Enough is a very short but striking piece about two amateur theatre actors who share a rocky relationship.  It's a 'will they, won't they?' but spread out over just a few pages.  The ending is delightfully dark and satisfyingly hard-hitting.  The book does finish around the 65% mark and, for me, the final story's shocking finish had the edge taken off slightly by the sudden appearance of a sample chapter.  I think this is because I was expecting the book's actual content to finish at a much higher percentage.Jenny Worstall has entered darker territory with this latest collection, which I am pleased about.  I have always enjoyed her work and especially so when the story is a bit darker, more meaty.  This collection satisfies in that way.  The author uses the supernatural element effectively and each conclusion wraps up each tale with a good degree of satisfaction.  Jenny's stories and their endings are quite often happy and feel-good, but here this isn't the case, and I think the book is all the more strong for that.