Monday 7 May 2012

'The Gun' by Mark Haddon

'Sean raises the gun at the end of his straightened arm and rotates slowly so that the barrel is pointing directly into Daniel's face. Bang, he says, softly. Bang.'

Short stories in the bath again. This time, from Granta 119 Britain, 'The Gun' by Mark Haddon.  Two boys - from quite different backgrounds - and a gun, stolen from an older brother.  The boys sense an adventure and the reader senses trouble.  The outcome is both better and, at the same time, worse than we could have imagined.  Certainly the writing was so vivid that I felt as though I was there all the time with the boys, racing to reach the story's strange conclusion.

My Granta subscription has just expired and, given the growing 'to be read' pile by my bed, I had decided not to renew.  For stories like this, I may have to rethink.

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