A Walk in the Woods (and other short stories)

Esther Chilton

(Review written 07/05/2020)

This brilliant collection of short stories has kept me glued to my kindle paperwhite screen for the last two nights. I could have quite happily read it all on the first night had I not started reading too late (lightweight, I know!).

All the stories in this collection are very clever and unique.

‘A Walk in the Woods’ is the first story and what an introduction to the collection! Heart-breaking! ‘Jake’ is equally emotional and heart-wrenching. All are emotional tales, in one way or another, and very much character led. ‘The Letter’ is particularly hard-hitting, especially considering it is only one page long. ‘The Brat’ had me holding my breath in hopeful anticipation. ‘The Battle’ broke my heart all over again. ‘William’ proves that there is always hope.

I think ‘Operation Flora’ is my absolute favourite story. It left me with a smile on my face. Closely followed by ‘A Walk in the Park’ with another happy ending. ‘The Lover’ is a very intelligently written tale of revenge. ‘Home’ is an extremely powerful story. We should all treat each other as we would want ourselves and our loved ones to be treated. A hard lesson learned by some. ‘Gus’ made me smile. I loved his story! It was a perfect one to end the collection with.

Overall, this is a beautifully written, thought-provoking collection. If you love a short story, then I’m sure you will love these. I highly recommend!