Hope is the most beautiful of all experiences. It is the reason why we get up in the morning, and it is at the core of this book. Somewhere a Bird is Singing is a beautifully crafted collection of five short stories by young writer and Southampton graduate Tig Wallace. Each story, although seemingly melancholy at moments, is packed with hope and life. There is hope too that the book will be successful, as after four days it has already jumped into the top 4,000 bestselling books on the Amazon Kindle Store.
From a girl gleefully chasing a balloon, to a mother remembering her child, all the way to a couple meeting on a train; this collection of stories explores each human emotion as it portrays life changing moments.
Something special can be gleamed from each individual story, but the book’s highlight, for me, is ‘Kazama’. This is the story of a young couple who move from Tokyo to rural Japan. The story begins as ‘shapeless and formless[ly]’ as the business it describes, but it soon blossoms with the life of grass and the sea side. We are reminded that there is more to life than work and that, as long as there is nature, there is still hope.
I am an English student, but I won’t try to pick the stories apart for you anymore. I won’t tell you what influences I believe Wallace took, or which metaphors to look out for, or even any of the storylines. Instead, I will simply ask you to read this for yourself: partly, because it was written by an alumnus of our University, but mainly because it’s brilliant. The stories are short and engrossing and you could easily read it in one sitting (I did), so why not give it a try.
The book is only available in e-book form on Amazon. You can buy it here for £1.97 (bargain).
