Embracing Change Av David Chesters

Set predominantly along the Sussex coast and the South Downs, Embracing Change is a wide-reaching collection of short stories which explores universal themes of both men and women facing change. Each of the 16 stories poses a range of questions about how to deal with life’s setbacks – broken relationships, illness and ageing, regrets and the sense of failure. A healthy dose of black humour underpins the births and deaths, the sexual exploits and the hints of murder. A selection of the stories follow a conventional structure with a narrative that drives through to the ending, for example ‘Restricted Area’ describes an encounter between a stickler for the rules and a ‘laddish’ group of friends parking illegally in a quiet suburban street. Others are more experimental, binding together disparate images, locations and time zones in ways that can challenge preconceptions. This approach helps to make the scope of the collection far broader than its south coast setting. Each story employs flashbacks to illustrate the characters’ backgrounds, amplifying the strong and diverse voices throughout. The short stories within Embracing Change ask questions but may not provide the answers. Each story is open-ended, more often than not leaving the reader wondering what happens next. Strongly inspired by the works of Tania Hershman, in particular The White Road, Embracing Change will appeal to readers living in or around the Sussex coast as well as those with a particular interest in the area and those who enjoy short stories more generally.