How the Light Gets In {book review}

How the Light Gets In is the exciting new book from award winning short story writer and novelist, Clare Fisher. You may remember that I reviewed her debut novel All the Good Things last year. From the publishers that brought you Attrib and Other Stories by Eley Williams, How the Light Gets In is another spellbinding short story collection.

How the Light Gets In by Clare Fisher

A book of very short stories that explores the spaces between light and dark and how we find our way from one to the other. From buffering Skype chats and the truth about beards, to fried chicken shops and the things smartphones make you less likely to do when alone in a public place, Fisher paints a complex, funny and moving portrait of contemporary British life.

Clare Fisher has a unique voice and is able to go straight to the emotional heart of any subject. I enjoyed reading this book. I’m not sure I’ve ever read a book of short stories (some are only 1 page!) but I found this style easy to pick up which suits my lifestyle (usually reading late in bed when I should be fast asleep).

The stories are very short, no one story goes beyond four pages. I liked the subject matter. Being a Londoner I love reading books set in places I know and can easily visualise. However this was an added bonus for me, you don’t need to know London to enjoy this book.

I liked all of the stories but my absolutely favourite was this city knows you better than you think. This had me laughing out loud as it is so spot on. I think any blogger/vlogger/content creator would enjoy this part:

You use the last of your 3G uploading it [a selfie] to Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and wait. One buzz, then another and another. As last, you can relax. Yes, you are many things, and this city knows about all of them, but right here, right now, you are one silly face in a city of eight million people that thirteen other people like.

Born and made in Tooting, south London, award-winning short story writer Clare Fisher’s first novel, All the Good
Things, was published by Viking in 2017. She now lives in Leeds, where she writes, works as a bookseller and teaches creative writing.

How the Light Gets In by Clare Fisher was published on the 7th June by Influx Press, priced £6.99.