This year, Synaesthesia Magazine held its first short story competition – and what a competition it was. We were spoilt rotten. Not only did we have a delectable selection of short stories to fawn over, but we were also honoured to have award-winning short story writer, Adam Marek, and publishing house, Comma Press, on board. Without their kindness and generosity, we would not have been able to provide the wonderful prizes we offered. We thank everyone who entered and made this competition so rich and vibrant. Here's to the next one!
Here, Adam reveals why he chose Amanda Oosthuizen's short story 'Love and Glitter' as the winner...
"VS Pritchett said a good short story should capture a character at bursting point; in 'Love and Glitter', we meet such a character: Ruby – a traffic warden who is verbally abused on the streets, returning home at the end of each day to a layabout husband who does nothing to help as they spiral into ever worsening financial ruin. Ruby's family is trapped in a vice, and even the children aren't spared from the pressure.The narrative is deftly handled - the tension and the reader's sympathies build until Ruby is forced to take action."
- Adam Marek