Surviving Larkin
Survival comes in many guises.
Being hunted on a foreign island. Meeting your all-time hero. Seeking love when it doesn’t want to be found. Running through enemy territory. Almost losing a child. Getting lost in a hostile landscape. And realising your lover isn’t the one.
In his first short story collection, acclaimed writer Will Kemp deftly explores the challenges life throws at us and the many ways in which we battle through. Sometimes survival comes through physical exertion, but more often it is a subtle, psychologically demanding fight that requires spiritual resilience and mental dexterity as things turn in an instant.
Using sharp dialogue, wry humour and a keen eye for the telling details that set one flawed human apart from another, Kemp’s stories – like his characters – are set to endure.
Praise for Surviving Larkin
“A remarkable debut collection where the quality of writing, the precision and economy of characterisation, and the deft creation of context – both physical and emotional – ensure the reader is gripped from the first word until the last. A collection full of humour, but also edgy and unsettling at times, and believable throughout. Impossible to put down.”
– Patrick Lodge
“A dazzling array of stories from a consummate and sure-footed writer. Strong voices, lively dialogue, and Kemp’s trademark humour switch us from heightened drama to hesitant tenderness before finally slipping us into the shock of what it means to be human. This is a glorious first collection.”
– Gail Ashton
About the Author
Will Kemp has won various competitions (e.g. Cinnamon Short Story Prize, Keats-Shelley Prize), been highly commended in others (e.g. Aesthetica Award, Wordsmiths Competition) and had work published in various magazines (e.g. Ambit, Dreamcatcher, Interpreters House). He teaches Creative Writing at York University and judges the Keats-Shelley Prize.
Vital Statistics
Imprint: Valley Press
Edition: First (November 2023)
Paperback ISBN: 9781915606082
Catalogue number: VP0215
Page count: 144
Trim size: 198x129mm
