– Fiction and Poetry from the Darkest Depths of the Mind –
‘Follow the Rabbit’ is at once surreal, comic and disturbing, chronicling one man’s hallucination of an anthropomorphic rabbit while undergoing psychiatric assessment. This is much left unsaid here, though it is in the unsaid that this story’s strength lies. With the hint of being expanded into a novel, we’re excited to read more.
‘Hello Depression’ offers an interesting, darkly humourous spin on one man’s battle with – or perhaps acceptance of – his depression. We won’t reveal it here, but the latter part of this excellent flash story takes an intriguing, memorable twist that won’t easily be forgotten.
‘Chicken Skin’ is a masterclass of description and dialogue. From the nauseating descriptions of smell to the harsh, unapologetic toxicity of the mother’s words, this is a stellar story that leaves as much unsaid as it does said.
We instantly fell in love with M.J. Iuppa’s relatable nugget of poetic prose. ‘Whether or Not’ is brimming with rhythm and metaphor, begging to be read aloud.
Michelle Ciccarelli’s ‘Perfection’ is an unflinching look at the realities of life with anorexia, with all of the frustration and bitterness that the condition’s obsessive thinking entails. Its narration is utterly realistic, believable, and does a marvellous job at simultaneously making us want to protect Shauna and yet empathising with her distrust of those attempting to treat her. A tightly woven tale.
This somewhat magical story is a sad, reflective look at loss, tangled with mental illness and how that can lead to such an obsession. The contrasted humour in Peter’s world-weary view, and of course his relationship with Harold the pigeon, only serves to accentuate the underlying tragedy of the story. A profoundly poignant piece of fiction.