Furnace

Wonderful.

Great short stories.

Wayne Price's Furnace is an exceptional debut collection. These stories are cool, insightful and sometimes shocking. Most of all, they are up-to-minute in their relevance to the way we live today. The author is equally at home in his native Wales, Scotland, the States, Spain and North Africa, all locations he makes use of effectively. Price never moralises but presents his characters as fully formed and sentient beings, even though they are invariably struggling to understand their own and others' behaviour. Moral confusion often draws them into conflict with the world and Price shows real understanding for the way we try to make sense of things, especially when we fail to fully understand our own motivations. There are no bum notes but particular highlights for me were The Golfers, about a teenage boy struggling to cope with his brother who has learning difficulties and wayward sister, There is a Saviour, a chilling story about suddenly finding yourself adrift, and Five Night Stay, when an absent father attempts to reopen communication with his young daughter. First coming to prominence in a number of national and international short story prizes, as well as Scotland's Gutter magazine, this collection is the calling card for a major new talent. On a par with other great story writers of the moment like Chris Adrian and Wells Tower. Unmissable.

I bought this some time ago meaning to get the author to sign my copy, I regret I missed him at the various book signings. What I enjoy about good short stories is the intensity that is always there even when I read them for a second time. My favourites are 'The Wedding Flowers, Rain, There is a Saviour', but really I liked them all. The human willingness to trust or suspect others seemed to balance on an edge for me and I always feel the tension as I read these stories. Being able to relate to similar uncertain moments in my own life where I have had to trust a stranger and at the same time not trust myself ( I shudder-the folly of youth) made these stories true to my experience, subtle and real. If you enjoy the snap shot that short stories give of life then I would recommend this as a good read.

This debut collection of short stories by Wayne Price is a testament to Price's immeasurable skill as an author. Price outlines each of his characters with simple, swift strokes while rendering their desires and frailties with gentleness. Price does not sacrifice clarity in doing so, however; each character is presented as they are, without adornment or embellishment, to the point where they stop being characters and become only too human. The heat of each story swims from the pages of this fantastic debut, and each story is perfectly sized-- while short stories often forgo detail in favour of word-count, Price creates a series of short stories that are complete and rounded, and leave the reader wishing to hear more from each of his characters; please note that I do not describe them as "flawed" characters: they are simply human. Objective with a great capacity for emotion. Beautifully written and above all, enjoyable to read. I cannot recommend this book highly enough. Suspend all cynicism.

This is one of the best short story collections I have read. Price is a major talent, and its no wonder that he has won a number of national story prizes in the past. The work in Furnace is reminiscent of William Trevor at his best (but is more emphatic) and some of the great American 20th century story writers like Cheever, Carver and, most especially, Paul Bowles. Price is particularly interested in characters in confusion, whether practical, psychological or moral (or all three!). He builds their individual narratives beautifully, so through observing them closely we understand each of their muddled motivations and the resulting consequences. While he is highly sympathetic to the trials of each, he doesn't let his protagonists off lightly, showing them warts and all. Sometimes its very ugly. While all the stories have deep resonance, my particular favorites are The Golfers, A Piece of the Moon, Underworld and There Is a Saviour. A fabulous debut!

As well as being the author of this superb collection of short stories, Wayne Price is a fine, prize-winning poet. And it shows. The phrase making and detailed understated observations in each of these stories is impressive and moving. The subject that unites them all is the loneliness and isolation of being human among humans. This is expressed through small but consequential disconnections in relationships - adolescent, marital, same sex friendship, love, first meetings with strangers, inter-generational and more. This is written by someone who is highly sensitive to the fragility and illusion of emotional connection. Each of the stories embody this in compelling ways. There is no navel-gazing or philosophising in these tales. Not a word is wasted and the individual worlds that lodge in the imagination are recognisable and authentic.

Beneath the shimmering heat Price's characters sweat, burn and buckle. He gives us a most intimate glimpse into their lives but he never pries, we are right there with them but only to observe, never to judge. The craft of short story telling when done well is superb, and here Price shows himself to be a supreme new talent. This is a fantastic debut collection and one that will not disappoint. I eagerly await what he will produce next.