One of my favourite times of the year in the literary calendar is the announcement of the shortlist for the BBC National Short Story Award. For me, the shortlist announcement is more exciting than finding out the overall winner. The pocket-sized book of shortlisted stories published by Comma Press is always a gem, from the cover design to words within. I like that I can carry it on me and head out for walk, stopping at a café along the way for a drink and pulling it out to lose myself for half an hour or so, then continuing on my journey refreshed and enlightened.
This year the competition is strong. The range of stories and the craft that has gone into creating them is immense. I’ve read them all and each one is a delight. The shortlist is as follows:
ALL THE PEOPLE WERE MEAN AND BAD by Lucy Caldwell
Lucy Caldwell’s story centres around a woman on a long-haul flight with her 21-month-old daughter. It is told in a second person point of view, which not only gives you a sense of the claustrophobia that comes with air travel but also turns you into the protagonist. It is a story about crossing paths with strangers, the different lives people lead, and their experiences of loves, losses, and kindness. At times the rhythm of the words is turbulent - the stresses of certain syllables take you up and down rapidly before smoothing out, allowing you to catch your breath, much like the turbulence on an actual flight. This is this the first story in the anthology, and it grabs your attention from the first word to the last.
Lucy Caldwell is a multi-award-winning author and three-time BBCNSSA nominee and after reading this story it’s easy to see why. All The People Were Mean and Bad is taken from her 2021 collection, Intimacies.
THE BODY AUDIT by Rory Gleeson
This testosterone fuelled meeting between a group of teenagers bubbles with friendship, camaraderie, insecurity, and bonding as a group of boys gather to judge each other’s physique. It’s an exploration of how body conscious male teens view their physical presence in the world as they morph from boys to men. Gleeson manages to contain all the characteristic charm of Irish prose while also implementing his own unique style. It’s a reminder of some of the struggles of growing up and wanting to feel accepted as you try to forge your path in the world.
Rory Gleeson is also a playwright and screen writer. I think this story would make for a captivating scene where we see a different side to masculinity – a tender side that is not often portrayed.
NIGHT TRAIN by Georgina Harding
The inspiration for this story came when Harding took a journey on a sleeper train from Kyiv to Lviv in the Ukraine. Like a hushed conversation, it’s quietly impactful. We are guided through the narrative via the observations and conversations of two characters travelling on a train. It explores parallel worlds and how some of us live outside of the realities faced by others. The opening sentence sets the mood and tone perfectly. It’s a rhythmically smooth and captivating read that will stay with you long after you’ve read it.
As well as fiction writing, Georgina Harding has also been a travel writer and editor.
TOADSTONE by Danny Rhodes
Toadstone is the story of a man who feels at odds with himself and returns home with the weight of a serious illness hanging over his shoulders. He is also a man who wants to escape the routines of his old familial life the expectations it throws upon him. The awkwardness in the family dynamic is palpable. It feels as if Rhodes has crafted this story for the reader to feel sympathetic and irritated towards his protagonist. The prose is skilfully jagged and cutting with enough depth to suck you in and not let you out until the end. For some reason, I would have been disappointed if there were no toads in this story, but thankfully (for me at least) they do feature – and they feel symbolic (I’ll stop there so as not to reveal any spoilers). There is a certain comfort in the story that I can’t quiet explain. This is my personal favourite.
Danny Rhodes is a writer and creative writing lecturer at Canterbury Christ Church University and the Open University.
MAYKOPSKY DISTRICT, ADYGHE OBLAST by Richard Smyth
Written in an epistolary style and set in 1949, Maykopsky District, Adyghe Oblast was inspired by Smyth’s interest in classic Russian literature. It’s experimentally drafted, and deftly written. There is also a striking authenticity to it, which is no doubt down to Smyth’s carefully paced narrative that is nicely formatted. It has been written in a way that makes the reader feel as if they have stumbled upon something they weren’t meant to see, which made me read it faster than I perhaps needed to. Anyway, I read it twice (once behind the couch), just to be sure I didn’t miss anything.
Richard Smyth is a novelist, journalist and, in 2008, a BBC Mastermind Grand Finalist - his specialist subject was classic Russian Fiction.
The winner of the BBC National Short Story Award will be announced on Tuesday 19th of October on BBC Radio 4’s Front Row from 7.15pm. I wish the shortlistees the best of luck. They’ve created fantastic stories all worthy of winning the final prize. I’ll be tuning in to see who the overall winner is, and you should too.
