Night Zoo

Name: Night Zoo – Valley Press – Independent Publishing
Brand: Valley Press – Independent Publishing
Price: 12.0 GBP
Availability: InStock

£12.00

Longing for excitement in a heatwave, Liza inadvertently stumbles across the complexity of being a child in a grown-up world. Brendan is haunted by the ghosts of the past in the present, and Franny contemplates the meaning of home in a world made uncertain by global warming.

With its dark twists and intense themes, Night Zoo subverts the reader’s expectations at every turn. Throughout, Sarah Barr weaves an intricate, cyclical thread of regret and hope, offering captivating glimpses into the lives of her distinctive cast of characters. A compelling collection, it forms a powerful portrait of life, painting the extraordinary in the everyday.

An expert blend of feminism and motherhood – set against a backdrop of climate change and with a breadth of settings explored – these stunning stories celebrate the variety and vitality that encompass the human experience.

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Praise for Night Zoo

“Each of these stories is a world of its own, peopled with vivid characters whose lives are revealed in such telling ways, every detail mattering … [Barr’s] prose is exacting and fresh, full of wit and energy.”
– Alice Kavounas

“Sarah Barr writes with great clarity. Her stories are both grounded and unexpected. Her characters complex and recognisable. Reading Sarah’s work reminds me of taking a trip to a destination where I’ve been before, but then seeing it with new eyes. A delight to read. Highly recommended.”
– Della Galton

“Steele's debut short story collection delivers poignant, beautifully crafted pieces, all of which offer powerful and thought-provoking messages about how lives are lived from childhood and adolescence through to adulthood and old age. Never anything less than real, the characters portrayed in these pieces inevitably elicit readers' empathy through stories that are windows into personal moments of triumph and tragedy. If you find yourself with only 'A Few Vital Minutes', as one character does, spend it well, reading this collection.”
– Tracey Iceton

“An absorbing collection of keenly observed stories from Sarah Barr. The characters are beautifully drawn and the narrative throughout is both insightful and vivid. I can highly recommend this collection. An excellent read.”
– Ian J. Burton

About the Author

Sarah Barr was born in London, studied English at London University, has masters degrees in social sciences and creative writing from Southampton University, and now lives in Dorset where she writes fiction and poetry, leads writing groups, and works as a mentor. She has worked as a counsellor and as an Open University tutor of social sciences and creative writing. Her short stories have been published in anthologies, including in The Cinnamon Review of Short Fiction, The Momaya Press Short Story Review and Wooing Mr Wickham (Honno Modern Fiction), and in magazines including The Yellow Room, Woman’s Weekly, The Lady and online with Fairlight Books. Her poetry pamphlet January was published in 2020.