Escape Routes: 'Winsomely written and engagingly quirky' The Sunday Times

Naomi Ishiguro's debut short story collection, "Shearing Season," is a magical and speculative work that blends the inventiveness of David Mitchell and the fairy-tale allure of Angela Carter. It follows the characters as they yearn for freedom and flight and find their worlds transformed beyond their wildest imaginings.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 304 pages
Publication date: 21 January 2021
Publisher: Headline Publishing Group

Naomi Ishiguro's captivating and imaginative short story collection blends the creativity of David Mitchell with the enchanting fairy-tale charm of Angela Carter to create its own unique brand of magic. In "Shearing Season," a space-obsessed child creates a vortex in his mother's airing cupboard, leading to unexpected possibilities. In "The Flat Roof," a musician befriends a flock of birds, opening up unexpected opportunities. And in "The Rat Catcher," a rat catcher is drawn into a battle for the throne of a decaying royal palace, finding himself in a world beyond his wildest dreams. These stories showcase characters yearning for freedom and flight, with their worlds transformed in extraordinary ways. Ishiguro's prose is crystal clear, captivating, and intriguing, with a touch of quirkiness that adds to the charm of her tales. The Sunday Times praised her imagination, describing it as a place where the fantastical lurks in the margins as a possibility rather than a genre. The Herald also noted Ishiguro's ability to blend imagination with gritty realism, creating a unique blend of fantasy and reality. Overall, Ishiguro's debut collection is a testament to her talent as a storyteller, and her imaginative stories are sure to leave readers spellbound.

Weight: 212g
Dimension: 197 x 128 x 25 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781472264862