Scablands and Other Stories
by Jonathan Taylor, Salt, £9.99

“SCABLAND” was a term used in the 1980s during the miners’ strike. Now, decades later, in this collection of stories, we hear from characters struggling to survive in this post-industrial town. A place where, if you peel away the layers, old sores and scars remain, some even 30 years old.

In this bleak and sometimes dangerous town, Taylor reveals stories with dark undertones that are equally poignant and thought-provoking. Hope is often provided by connections between characters — their friends, family members, colleagues, and even strangers at times. The title story is a good example of that where the bullied schoolboy and fierce “Mr Chandler” find something in common.

These intriguing stories are short enough to read in a coffee break. But the themes, such as mental illness, poverty, and loss, as well as the deftly created characters who are trying to survive in the margins of our world, are likely to stay with you long after that break. Characters like example “Eleanor” and the homeless man, the one person she didn’t hug.

As we read these stories, we’re in the safe hands of a talented storyteller, who can turn these subjects, like the desperation of deprivation, into something that’s often tender and profound. In other stories, hope and even joy can be present, with what is unsaid sometimes just as important as what is said.

Although each of these compelling stories stands alone, there are at least two possible links between them all: first, the political nature (with a lower-case “p”); and second, the desperate need these characters have for connection in this isolating world. Such themes unite them as a collection. 

This is a short story collection that I strongly recommend.