Loïs Bolton ’ s ‘ Danse Macabre ’ wryly examines mortality and what it means , as well as the pure grit and grind it takes to carry on in everyday life despite it all . Meanwhile , Ellen Hutchinson ’ s understated ‘ Just Football ’ and ‘ Silver Lining ’ gently expose the beauty in everyday conversations and connections , reminding us that life ’ s profundity often hides in the mundane .
Perhaps what unites these tangents is their collective refusal to shy away from the raw and the real . The anthology ’ s strength lies in its variety – not only of voices but of perspectives that challenge , comfort , and provoke . The contributions , from Luke Blundell ’ s meditation on memory making , photography , and nostalgia in ‘ Wedding Photographs ’ to Paddy Brennan ’ s kaleidoscopic yet astute explorations of fragile intergenerational relationships in ‘ Won ’ t Win , Will Win ’, demonstrate that the act of creative writing is itself a tangent : a journey from the known to the unknown or perhaps in some cases a reverse of that path .
Each writer in this anthology leaves a mark , whether through reflection , tragedy , or humour . Free of a set theme , Tangents becomes a mirror for its readers , both reflecting the chaos and celebrating the diverse beauty of branching paths . To read this collection is to embrace the infinite possibilities of thought , imagination , and connection , and to come to the realisation that going off on a tangent often brings you to a place or state of mind you never knew you needed .
Dr Bernadette McBride
7