Skip to main content
A dazzling period pastiche
ANDY HEDGECOCK recommends a fiction that offers luminous insights into the complexities of being human
fall

True North
by Sara Maitland
Comma Press, hardback £14.99

SARA MAITLAND has been described as a writer of religious fantasy, a magical realist and a bold interpreter of traditional fairy tales. She is all three, but these labels fail to capture the versatility, craft and depth of an author who has pushed the short story beyond its traditional limitations. 

True North is a collection of 16 tales selected by Maitland’s friends, co-workers and family members. It spans 40 years of her writing and highlights the potential of short fiction as a means of interrogating ideas, reflecting on moral dilemmas and making sense of human experience.

Four of the stories, developed through conversations with scientists, merge myth with cutting-edge research. The Beautiful Equation considers autism and the complex interaction of twins in the light of Dirac’s equation — the mathematical formulation that foreshadowed the discovery of anti-matter.

Support the Morning Star
You have reached the free limit.
Subscribe to continue reading.
Morning Star call for advertising
More from this author
prop1
Books / 3 December 2024
3 December 2024
MICHAL BONCZA recommends a compact volume that charts the art of propagating ideas across the 20th century
Cairokee
Gig review / 5 May 2024
5 May 2024
MICHAL BONCZA reviews Cairokee gig at the London Barbican
triple
Culture / 29 April 2024
29 April 2024
women poster 1
Opinion / 15 March 2024
15 March 2024
MICHAL BONCZA rounds up a series of images designed to inspire women
Similar stories
2 books
Book Reviews / 10 February 2025
10 February 2025
ANDY HEDGECOCK recommends two collections of short stories that use a single location to connect the narratives, and explore the limits of our ability to understand the world
imaginary
Books / 24 September 2024
24 September 2024
ANDY HEDGECOCK relishes a fine collection that demonstrates the short story’s relevance as entertainment, provocation and survival strategy
short stories
Short Fiction / 6 September 2024
6 September 2024
ANDY HEDGECOCK invites readers to contribute short fiction to our arts pages, offers some guidance and picks a few favourites
MAREK
Books / 26 July 2024
26 July 2024
ANDY HEDGECOCK admires a virtuoso collection of short stories that chronicle 21st century alienation and the cruelties of consumerism