Used to Be
Will be published approx. on 1. October 2015
Book
Paperback/Softback
144 pages
978-1-78463-036-2 (ISBN)
Description
Long-listed for the 2016 Edge Hill Short Story Prize
What if, in a parallel universe, you made a different choice of lover? What if you've spent your whole life with entirely the wrong idea about your own sister? What do you do if you're trapped in a phone box by a woman who might be a victim, but could have accomplices nearby? What if we're wrong that ghosts come from the past, they come from somewhere else? What if we're only dreaming the life we think we're living? And can your life be changed by a message written by starlings on the sky?
In Used to Be, a woman is driven at breakneck speed down a motorway, her life flashing before her, and comes to see that there's never just one story of a life. An eighteenth-century gentleman's certainty is challenged by a strange phenomenon, and a fatality on the line throws into disarray the lives of the passengers of an express train. Black holes and flooding can make us feel that the universe is running away with us and steal our certainty: can we ever say who we are really are? How reliable can memory ever be, and can looking for a ruined castle unlock the secrets of one person's past? Is there ever one real story?
In the world of these short fictions, things are rarely what they're first assumed to be. There's always another story lurking somewhere...
What if, in a parallel universe, you made a different choice of lover? What if you've spent your whole life with entirely the wrong idea about your own sister? What do you do if you're trapped in a phone box by a woman who might be a victim, but could have accomplices nearby? What if we're wrong that ghosts come from the past, they come from somewhere else? What if we're only dreaming the life we think we're living? And can your life be changed by a message written by starlings on the sky?
In Used to Be, a woman is driven at breakneck speed down a motorway, her life flashing before her, and comes to see that there's never just one story of a life. An eighteenth-century gentleman's certainty is challenged by a strange phenomenon, and a fatality on the line throws into disarray the lives of the passengers of an express train. Black holes and flooding can make us feel that the universe is running away with us and steal our certainty: can we ever say who we are really are? How reliable can memory ever be, and can looking for a ruined castle unlock the secrets of one person's past? Is there ever one real story?
In the world of these short fictions, things are rarely what they're first assumed to be. There's always another story lurking somewhere...
Reviews / Votes
The writing is vivid, buoyant, incisive ... vibrant evocation of time and place - and the power of the human mind to transcend both. * Confingo Magazine * Life is a series of might-have-beens, near-misses and what ifs. This is a tremendous collection of stories. They do not seek to be didactic, but may nonetheless give many of us who read them cause to reflect on the choices we have made in our own lives, and to be more mindful of the options which open in front of us every day. -- Cath Barton * The Short Review * The source of their appeal lies in Baines' inventive use of motifs such as scientific research. Her vivid, detailed and original descriptions also ground the work in reality, creating a juxtaposition to the collection's transcendental aspects. Overall, the work blends multiple portrayals of womanhood with ease, creating something larger and grander. I am confident that Used to Be will find a welcome home within the library of anyone looking for a surreal take on the feminine. -- Daniel Leeman * New Welsh Review * Used To Be shows the ordinary for what it is. It reminds you that everyone is in the same boat if not on the same deck, and it's written with a meticulous eye to detail. It'll blow you away when you least expect it. -- Charlie Place * The Worm Hole * Highly readable, thought-provoking and with beautiful use of language, this collection is a rich and unexpected delight. -- JJ Marsh * Bookmuse *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Cambridge
United Kingdom
Product notice
Paperback (UK-B)
Illustrations
Not illustrated
Dimensions
Height: 198 mm
Width: 129 mm
Thickness: 10 mm
ISBN-13
978-1-78463-036-2 (9781784630362)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Person
Elizabeth Baines is the author of two short story collections and three novels (all available from Salt), and has written prize-winning drama for BBC Radio 4. In the past, Elizabeth has written, performed and produced plays for fringe theatre, has worked as a secondary-school teacher and has taught Creative Writing at Manchester University and the Bolton Institute. She was born in South Wales and now lives in Manchester where she brought up her two sons.