{"id":3091,"date":"2013-07-23T14:42:11","date_gmt":"2013-07-23T14:42:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.themanchesterreview.co.uk\/?p=3091"},"modified":"2013-07-23T14:47:03","modified_gmt":"2013-07-23T14:47:03","slug":"mr10-fiction-highlight-with-nick-holdstock","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.themanchesterreview.co.uk\/?p=3091","title":{"rendered":"MR10 Fiction Highlight with Nick Holdstock"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\u00a9<\/a><\/p>\n

Nick Holdstock<\/a>‘s striking story ‘The False River<\/a>‘ was a knockout from our slushpile that made it into MR9. I asked Nick to highlight an author from the current issue. Here’s what Nick had to say:<\/em><\/p>\n

Marli Roode<\/a>\u2019s \u2018A Season in Paradise\u2019 contains sharp prose and an economical evocation of place, but what impressed me most was its sure portrayal of the relationship between Nico and Jo, an estranged father and daughter. Though the action of the piece is mostly static, the conversation between the two is so tense, and often fraught with hostility, that it generates urgency, and at times a sense of danger. There\u2019s also just the right amount of backstory – all too often short stories ask readers to care about vague characters placed in difficult situations. Why should we care that Richard or Rita has an unhappy marriage\/relationship\/unfulfilled dream of being a stripper when we know them less well than the man who holds the \u2018GOLF SALE\u2019 sign at the traffic lights?<\/p>\n

The conversation is essentially a contest between Jo and her father, with her resentment against him on one side, and him wanting her help on the other. Her standing over him at the start initially seems to suggest a position of strength. But though both manage to wound each other, there\u2019s a sense of inevitability (and not just because of the demands of plot) that she is going to capitulate. \u00a0Though Nico\u2019s casual, provocative racism is unpleasant, he\u2019s also funny and perceptive (albeit viciously). It\u2019s the unpredictability of this combination that makes him so interesting, and helps the reader to partially understand why Jo doesn\u2019t just walk away. Though this is an extract from a novel, the ending works well, as it manages to be both open in terms of plot, and yet still underlines Jo\u2019s small defeat. At the end, the father stands, \u2018stronger, more solid.\u2019<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Nick Holdstock’s striking story ‘The False River’ was a knockout from our slushpile that made it into MR9. 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