The Dark Poet
Some people are so broken they can only cut us. With poetic dexterity, Aurealis Award finalist Kathryn Gossow interweaves eight short stories of longing and alienation featuring outcasts and the misunderstood. From a homeless storyteller to a gardening soothsayer, to a copy editor who owns a pair of stubborn chickens, readers will come face to face with the humanity of people easily judged by a rigid society. At the heart of these stories is the Dark Poet, a charismatic and broken man leaving a trail of debris as he drifts in and out of people’s lives.
Available in print and ebook formats from Amazon, Bookshop.org, or your favourite bookstore or online retailer.
$18.95
Book Details
| Weight | 250 g |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | 203 × 133 mm |
| Extent | 106 pages |
| Format | Paperback |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Short story collection |
| Release date | 15 May 2019 |
| ISBN | 9781925652642 |
| Imprint | Odyssey Books |
About The Author
Kathryn Gossow
Kathryn Gossow is a writer and sometimes gardener living in a two acre garden in a pocket of the Brisbane River. When she is writing, her garden is a mess. When she is gardening, she forgets to write. It seems she cannot have both. She writes for that elusive feeling when she gets into the zone and there is nothing else in the world but her and the words that tumble onto the page. Kathryn has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize, won a commendation in the Australian Horror Writers’ Association Flash Fiction Competition and has a number of published stories out in the world.
Emma Rald –
This was my first experience of the format Kathryn Gossow has used, and I loved being able to fill a few of those precious micro-opportunities to read with a complete story from the book. Finishing this small but lovely book was therefore easier; because each story stands alone but contributes to the bigger picture being developed through their linked elements.
Kathryn has a lovely, poetic writing style, and I deeply appreciated the warmth and vibrance of her character descriptions and storytelling. She expertly enables the reader to identify elements of themselves within the characters and relate to them. I also appreciated the process of unearthing the character arc of Paul, the character who pops up in all of the stories. It was a pleasant read, and I hope there will be more like it to com
Georgina Ballantine –
I’m wondering how to adequately express how much I enjoyed this short story collection.
Kathryn writes beautifully. Her characters stay with you, real and raw. On that note, Cassandra makes a welcome reappearance (see my rave Goodreads review of the author’s YA novel ‘Cassandra’).
The stories in this collection weave together, mostly linked by a common character yet distinct in theme. Insightful and disturbing, they’ll leave you satisfied but uncomfortable.
If you read no other story, read The Hunger. It is perfection.