Description
A man jumps, the platform empties, then the stories begin.
Filled with tales of tragedy, love, hope and frustration, Malachi McIntosh’s debut collection of short stories offers surreal and satirical accounts of the many perils of contemporary life. From resistant mothers and unexpected corporate climbers, to doomed weddings and unwelcome visitors, these dark, comedic and uncanny stories contend with timeless concerns of parenthood, family, race and identity in the here and now.
Whether characters are absorbed in social media or burying their grief, raising themselves up or taking others down, Parables, Fables, Nightmares brings a light to our interactions in an ailing world and heralds the arrival of a unique new voice in fiction.
Praise for Parables, Fables, Nightmares
“Malachi McIntosh conjures worlds that lie at the extremes of our imagination and at the center of our experience. The parables are visceral and unsettling, beautiful and charming, all at once. Every character stands out as much as they are a stand-in for a stereotype; their chatty bonhomie is captured with absolute finesse. This book is a delightful read.” – Meena Kandasamy
‘[An] amazing collection’ – Morgan Omotoye, The Bookseller“The stories in Parables, Fables, Nightmares showed great poise to conjure the very real dilemmas of all-too-human characters. They are written with a fantastic syncopated poetry and uniquely fitting architecture. The collection itself displays a superb diversity which makes for an eclectic and edifying and very nourishing book.” – Tom Conaghan, judge of the Edge Hill Prize 2024
‘McIntosh has created a fantastic debut collection of short stories. Covering the fascinating and weird subjects of our everyday lives in high-quality writing, Parables, Fables, Nightmares is a thought-provoking and emotional read.’ – Ilina Jha, Redbrick
‘I was astonished at the insightful, clearsighted prose and the depth he reaches in his writing. A surreal, honest and energising read. Highly recommend!’ – Gemma Seltzer, author of Ways of Living
‘Outlandish, funny, moving and ingeniously fresh.‘ – Rufus Jones, Cherwell
