Heuijung Hur, Paige Aniyah Morris. Scratch Books, (183p) ISBN: 9781068355509. Contemporary Fiction, read 11/04/25, Paperback ★★★★☆

Failed Summer Vacation

I was initially unsure of getting this one as I was feeling a bit burnt out with contemporary fiction at the time I was offered it, but I thought a collection of short stories should be OK.

So happy I took the chance as this is such a compelling debut collection from Heuijung Hur.

Each story stood strong within itself but they all added to a greater whole within the collection, all had a deep feeling of isolation with lots of nuance about that isolation throughout. Going from weird to disturbing, each had such a strong hook that kept you going to find which path the pain was coming from and where it would go in the end.

The only frustration I found was a purposeful one in that some of the stories felt fragmented and unfinished, but this is a reflection of the pain and uncertainty we all feel through life, especially in our relationships where sometimes we are so unsure of our place within our own life.

Enjoyed is not the word that I could really use for this collection, though there was a sense of enjoyment in following the stories and deciphering what was happening and feeling the mirroring of these emotions from your own experiences, working its way into your psyche through great turns of phrase and observation of the feelings of people detached from ‘normal’ emotional responses.

If you want an emotionally challenging read, and one that turns the mirror onto your own emotions this is a treat, being well written and full of recognisable behavioural observations.

I received this from Scratch Books in exchange for an honest review.