Title: My Dad’s a Policeman

Author: Cathy Glass

Type: Fiction

Page Count/Review Word Count: 106

Rating: 3.5/5

This book is one of the books in the Quick Reads series, which is designed to get more people into reading. I’m not sure who the target audience actually is, though.

It’s basically a harrowing story about a kid who’s taken into care because his mum’s an alcoholic, and he’s not too happy about that. I picked it up because my girlfriend read it and found it to be super moving, although it didn’t hit quite as close to home for me.

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Title: The Fantastic Book of Everybody’s Secrets

Author: Sophie Hannah

Type: Fiction

Page Count/Review Word Count: 272

Rating: 4/5

I’ve read a bunch of Sophie Hannah’s books by this point, but this one is probably my favourite and I guess it shows that she shines the most when she’s working with shorter forms. That also makes me want to check out some of her poetry.

The Fantastic Book of Everybody’s Secrets is a short story collection with a bunch of great little tales inside, often using a non-traditional approach to short fiction that doesn’t necessarily leave you with a tidy little ending that’s all wrapped up with a bow. Some of the endings are ambiguous, and that’s just fine by me.

The titular story here is about a disgraced former literary type who used to arrange literary festivals and things like that but who accidentally kidnapped Ian McEwan and ended up as the black sheep of the industry. She’s now working in a hotel while she gathers anonymous stories from people about their secrets.

The collection kicks off with another story that literature lovers will enjoy, featuring a married couple being stalked by someone who shows up in the background of all of their photos and ending with a delicious little twist.

With short story collections, I often find that we get a mixture of hits and misses, but I’m pleased to report that Sophie Hannah only has hits. If you’re new to her work then I’d suggest starting here, unless you’re particularly interested in her thrillers. But this is where she shines.

Learn more about The Fantastic Book of Everybody’s Secrets.