Book description
The poignant and subtle novella 'Arrivals' unfolds slowly,
revealing a mother and daughter in opposite corners of the planet,
both experiencing their own personal revelation. Following the tragic
death of her boyfriend, 19-year-old Amy escapes to LA where a man lay
in wait for her. A man she didn't remember. A man who had been missing
for her whole life or so it felt. Back home in London, unravelling
former West End star Maggie also seeks escape, fleeing empty nest
syndrome to find memories of her first love dotted along the Brighton
seaside and messages at the bottom of bottles. On Susie Wild's debut
collection of short stories The Art of Contraception where the novella
Arrivals was first published: 'amusingly quirky and darkly humorous,
yet always ready to identify and sympathise with the loneliness and
sense of loss that pervades the lives of her characters[...] The Art
Of Contraception is well worth the read. If Parthian can continue to
unearth writers of this calibre, then its new imprint will definitely
be one to follow.' Harri Roberts, Planet Magazine (no. 201, January
2011); 'Veering from the purely observational into a strangely
unnerving other-worldliness, these stories have at times a Lynchian
quality.' - Book of the Month, Buzz Magazine, 1 October 2010
Susie Wild is a writer, editor and journalist. She has previously
edited Platform, been News Editor- Kruger, Film Editor- Red Handed. Her
words have appeared in Mslexia, Clash Magazine,TheSite. org, The
Guardian, New Welsh Review, Planet Magazine, Metro
