‘Caravan of Nightmares and Other Short Stories’ by Joy Mutter

My Review (5 stars out of 5)

I’ve read most of Ms Mutter’s books, so I usually know what to except when a new tome appears on her Amazon page. This is the second time she’s penned a collection of short stories and like most of her writing there’s a dark side to more than a few of these tales. There are familiar and recurring themes, including loneliness, desire, racism and jealousy, as well as the usual issues her characters face with their intimate relationships.

Of the fourteen tales in this book, my own favourites are The Writing Group, where a budding novelist clashes with another member of the aforementioned gathering, Instafamous, where two large ladies become enamoured with the same skinny man, and Beneath the Sand, a fantastical tale which focuses on a teenage gamer whose skull-covered necklace bears an uncanny resemblance to the hero of a new video game. Another tale, Sitting Ducks, takes a gay couple and throws them into a sticky situation with members of the local community. Suffice to say, it doesn’t end well.

As always there’s an underlying layer of humour to many of the stories and not a small amount of tongue-in-cheek wit in the dialogue.

An entertaining and witty collection with a hint of darkness.

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