I would like to thank Elsewhen Press for an advance copy of this collection in exchange for a fair and honest review

Published – 28/2

Publisher – Elsewhen Press

Price – £10 paperback £2.99 ebook

These stories savour the surreal, flirt with magical realism, dabble with dystopia. A boy sees the ghosts of dead crabs. A girl with a fox tail is bullied. A disenchanted woman sprouts orchids from her belly button. Fashion models pursue the trend of having plants as hair. Electronic goods amassing all over London herald an apocalypse. Darkness and wonder, the strange and the ordinary, interweave to offer an environmental and social portrait of our times. Guaranteed to evoke a response, whether a giggle, a gasp, or a nervous gulp, these stories will stay with you, enriching your perception of the world.

Surreal, absurdist, magical realist; Katy Wimhurst writes speculative fiction that meditates on our reality. Although bleak themes are examined - dystopian futures, the climate crisis, bullying &ndash a quirky imagination and wry humour lift the tales above the 'realm of grim'.

Our relationship with our own world is understandably ever changing. We used to be sure we were special and everything was created for us to do with as we wish without consequence. Safe to say that is changing (though not perhaps in those with power). The fantastical though allows the boundaries between human and nature to be explored even closer and often cross over. In Katy Wimhurst’s very impressive collection of short fiction An Orchid In My Belly Button we get a set of tales where human and natural worlds are being explored with a reminder we too are part of the ecosystem.

Among the many stories I enjoyed were: -

An Orchid In My Belly Button – the title story is a great dreamy tale that in other context could have bee body horror but here our lead character slowly finds herself having leaves sprout from her body. Rather than being fearful though our character explores this and when we see a terse family, depressing day job and unfaithful ex are all hovering I her lives perhaps we see why enjoying nature again is so important although perhaps not as you may expect!

Nothing Like Ice Cream In The Apocalypse – I loved this story for being a quiet unnerving apocalypse. A suburban street finds random junk appearing in homes and streets such as toaster or washing machines. There is though a bigger metaphor at work. People all want someone else to deal with the problem, token efforts are given up and then things suddenly escalate and get very daunting. Lovely character work and a great look at how we ignore climate change and our own role in creating it.

Snow On Snow – An old lady in her home finds it snowing in her house. A tale of growing old, being isolated and loneliness. Its only a few pages but they really pack an emotional punch as we reach the last few lines.

The Woman With Birds In her Hair – Avecita has always had birds living in her hair. That’s who she is and her little village accepts it but often looks down upon her. This story explores ur intolerance tot hose we see as different but also has some uplifting moments in the power that can take place when you realise, you’re not alone in the world. The strangeness is not explained but we as the reader have to accept it which really works for the wider theme.

Existential Shrug – A middle aged man well known for his lack of engaging with the world tries to impress his younger girlfriend with a big gesture of love. I really liked this story as the main events are happening a little offscreen and suggest a much darker world and our very blasé narrator doesn’t want to engage with that at all. There are consequences though for hiding from the world and that can pay you back. Very good storytelling ties the tale all together in the final verse.

The Art of Rubbish – Mysterious protest messages made of rubbish are appearing on beaches. It appears renegade mermaid artists are at work. It’s a touch of the surreal that also points out art is often the best way to make people look, think and do something which for me is a wider art of this whole collection. I also really like the idea of mermaid graffiti!

The Mushroom Lovers – A bittersweet tale of love, loss and letting go. An elderly couple in declining health find they are starting to grow mushrooms on their bodies. In many ways in dialogue with An Orchid In My bellybutton but this story has a happy relationship and explores just letting yourself return bac to the natural world we came from. Eloquent and powerful in the impact on the couple’s choices.

Fox Freak – a young girl grows up with a fox tail. This makes life for her extremely hard, few people understand her and some even want to exploit her. We feel the sense of isolation and a crushing disappointment when happiness is shown not to be real. But then our main character Lis embraces who she is, lives her life and finds perhaps that helps you find the people you do need to meet. A great story.

Calmer Karma – A wolf becomes Buddhist. This does not end well… Go on you know you want to know more reading that…

Family Fungi Friends – A tale of trust and acceptance. An off-grid community often being portrayed as a threat to society finds the daughter of their biggest critic is joining them. There are suspicions as to what is actually going on. This story explores the tensions and ways we can judge a person’s motivations and perhaps we all learn a lesson in the process.

This is a really impressive collection. I loved the surreal nature of the stories that subtly explore our human relationships with nature and each other. Wimhurst is an incredibly skilled storyteller and fans of great short fiction should definitely pick this up! Highly recommended!